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STEPHEN  Bo  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  1886;  PHD.  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 


OF  THE 

UNHVERSIMIY  OF  MOKIH  CARDUNA 
TIE  WEEKS  OBJECTION 

OF 

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Form  No.  471 


LIFE-SKETCH 


-OF— 


RB\7.  CHARLES  f\.  ROSE. 


BY 

REV.  L.  E.  BUSBY,  D.  D., 

PASTOR, 

ST.    JOHN'S  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH, 

SALISBURY,  N.  C. 


SMITH  &  IRVIN,    PRINTERS, 
SALISBURY.   N.  C. 


A®@/^ 


^//MW^ 


DEDICATION. 

To  the  Faithful  Wife  and  Dutiful  Children, 

who,  ere  the  joyous  ties  of  the  home-circle 
were  broken,  breathed  the  sweet  atmos- 
phere of  domestic  happiness  made  holy  by 
the  influence  of  a  loving  husband  and  tender 
parent;  and  to 

The  Members  of  St.  Paul's  and  Bethel  Evan= 
gelical  Lutheran  Churches, 

of  Eowan  County,  N.  C,  who  for  fifteen 
years  sat  under  the  pulpit  ministrations,  and 
were  trained  and  moulded  spiritually  by  the 
shepherd-care,  of  God's  servant,  our  sainted 
brother,  whose  life-sketch  is  here  given, 
these  pages  are  affectionately  dedicated  by 

The  Author. 


INTRODUCTION. 

This  simple  heart-offering'  is  laid  as  a 
tiny  flower  upon  the  grave  of  a  departed 
friend.  The  book  does  not  claim  the  digni- 
ty of  a  biography.  No  special  collection  of 
materia]  has  been  attempted;  no  ornate 
phraseology  has  been  called  into  requisition; 
no  exuberance  of  feeling  has  been  indulged 
in.  The  simplest  outlines  of  an  honest,  no- 
ble christian  life  make  up  the  contents  of 
this  little  volume.  To  resist  the  sad  pleas- 
ure of  penning  these  pages  would  be  disloy- 
al to  the  memory  of  one  whose  friendship 
was  true  and  abiding,  and  would  do  violence 
to  a  heartfelt  duty. 

Hence,  as  love's  token,  this  volume  is 
sent  forth  to  comfort  the  bereaved  ones,  to 
stimulate  the  toiler  in  the  Lord's  Vineyard, 
and  perpetuate  the  memory  of  a  true  chris- 
tian fellow-laborer. 


CONTENTS. 

I.  Birth  and  Boyhood. 

II.  Aspirations  and  Prophecies. 

III.  The  Man  in  the  Pulpit. 

IV.  The  Man  in  the  Pastorate. 
V.  The  Man  and  the  Citizen. 

VI.     The  Voice  and  the  Message. 

VII.     Sunset  at  High  Noon. 

VIII.     Sweet  Memories. 

IX.     Truth's  Coronet. 
(A  Sermon.) 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Portrait  of  Kev.  C.  A.  Rose. — Frontispiece. 
Monument  of  Rev.  C.  A.  Rose. — Page  85. 


XK*X~ 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  CHARLES  A.  ROSE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


BIRTH  AND  BOYHOOD. 


THE   CHILD  19  FATHER    OP  THE  MAN."™WOHnSWORTn. 


cmLnnooD  snows  the  man, 

AS    MORJfrtfO  SHOWS    THE  DAY. MILTON. 


CHARLES  ALEXANDER  ROSE  was 
born  in  Cabarrus  County,  North  Caro- 
lina, March  11,  1857;  and  died  at  Zeb, 
near  Salisbury,  N.  C,  July  2,  1899.  These 
two  dates  mark  the  beginning*  and  the  end 
of  a  life  that  was  earnest,  faithful  and  effect- 
ive. When  the  summons,  which  no  man  may 
resist,  came  to  him  at  the  noonday  hour  of 
his    consecrated     activities,    he    responded 


10  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

with  an  unfaltering  Faith  which,  amid  the 
shadows  of  death,  as  well  as  in  the  sunlight 
of  ardent  toil,  had  taught  him  to  say — 

"I  follow  thee,  safe  guide,  the  path 

Thou  lead'st  me,  and  to  the  hand  of  heaven  submit." 

Born  of  honest,  sturdy,  God-fearing 
parentage,  and  inheriting  a  strong  physical 
constitution,  he  developed  a  self-dependence 
in  mastering  difficulties,  and  a  laudable  am- 
bition to  win  success  where  others  failed. 
The  rural  simplicity  of  his  boyhood  years 
guarded  him  against  the  indolence, 
temptations  a.nd  vices  so  prevalent  in  the 
city;  and  no  doubt  the  modest  and  unosten- 
tatious characteristics  of  his  later  years 
were  the  natural  development  of  that  gen- 
tle, trustful  and  transparent  nature  implant- 
ed within  him  in  the  countrjr  home  and  as- 
siduously cultivated  by  a  devoted  christian 
mother. 

Young  Rose,  when  only  five  or  six  years 
of  age,  was  left  to  the  counsel  and  direction 
of  his  pious  mother,  his  father,  at  the  out- 
break of  the  great  Civil  War,having  entered 
the  army. 

Amid  the  disturbed   conditions  incident 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  11 

to  the  war  and  the  disruption  of  many  coun- 
try homes,  the  educational  facilities  of  the 
rural  districts  were  exceedingly  meager  and 
unsatisfactory;  hence,  young  Rose's  early 
education  was  the  product  of  such  opportun- 
ities as  he  could  snatch  from  the  neighbor- 
hood schools  during  the  less  busy  days  of 
farm-life.  Possessed  of  an  ardent  disposi- 
tion, and  too  proud  to  accept  a  mediocre 
position  among  his  companions,  he  always 
stood  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  the  school- 
room. He  was  fond  of  all  kinds  of  out-door 
sports;  and  on  one  occasion,  when  a  young 
champion  of  the  neighborhood  had  defeated 
all  opponents  in  a  wrestling  match,  young 
Rose  accepted  the  challenge  to  a  test  of 
athletic  skill,  and  easily  overcame  his  com- 
petitor. He  scorned  an  honor  that  was  un- 
justly won;  he  needed  no  discipline  at  home 
or  at  school  to  urge  him  to  the  performance 
of  any  task.  The  motive-power  to  urge  him 
to  obedience  and  to  the  performance  of  duty 
was  that  of  maternal  love.  With  a  cheer- 
ful, joyful  spirit,  he  assumed  the  burden  of 
physical  support,  for  fortune  never  threw  its 
golden  opportunities  in  his  pathway.  A 
sense  of  manly  dependence  constrained  him 
to  rely  upon  his  own  exertions   for  prefer- 


12  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

ment  in  life.  He  wasted  no  precious  time  in 
storing  his  mind  with  that  knowledge 
which,  in  after  years,  would  fit  him  to  be  a 
benefactor  among  his  fellowmen. 

His  mind  was  not  quick  and  brilliant 
like  the  flashing  meteor;  rather  it  was  like 
the  steady,  focussed  sun-ray  that  penetrated 
and  enkindled  into  life  whatever  it  touched. 
He  was  not  content  to  scan  the  surface  of 
things,  but,  like  Carlyle,  he  felt  impelled 
"to  look  through  the  show  of  things  to  the 
things  themselves,"  by  discovering  their 
basic  truths  and  principles.  One  idea  loom- 
ed up  before  him  continually  and  to  the  at- 
tainment of  this  ideal  he  constantly  directed 
his  efforts — to  become  a  worthy  ambassador 
of  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ.  From  a  child 
he  was  imbued  with  a  pious  disposition. 
His  one  aim  was  to  be  a  preacher  of  the 
Gospel.  He  was  not  an  ascetic  in  temper 
ament.  He  never  believed,  as  do  some,  that 
lawful  pleasure  is  incompatible  with  piety, 
nor  did  he  assume  a  sanctity  that  excluded 
the  display  of  a  genial  temperament.  He 
was  affable,  though  not  effusive;  he  was 
transparent  in  all  his  motives  and  purposes. 
He  loved  and  encouraged  the  best  that  was 
in  men.     He  grew  up  with  a  hatred  of  shams 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  13 

and  with  an  unmeasured  contempt  for  all 
cant  and  hypocrisy  whether  in  church  or  so- 
ciety or  individual. 

When  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  of  age, 
Charles  left  his  old  home-roof,  to  live  with 
his  maiden  aunts,  Elizabeth,  Polly  and  Mar- 
garet Rodgers.  In  the  sacred  enclosure  of 
this  godly  home  peace  and  contentment 
dwelt;  and  here  it  was,  more  than  anywhere 
else,  that  the  traits  of  genius,  shaped  by 
Providence  and  guided  by  these  saintly  wo- 
men, became  fixed  and  permanent.  Love 
was  the  guardian  angel  of  this  home.  The 
wealth  of  their  affection  was  laid  as  a  will- 
ing tribute  upon  the  altar  of  this  young  life, 
and  the  very  fountains  of  his  reverential 
nature,  imbibed  from  his  mother,  were 
sweetened  and  purified  by  the  prayers  and 
sacrifices  of  these  devoted  servants  of  God. 
"Auntie"  Elizabeth,  especially,  adopted 
"Charlie"  as  her  "boy";  and  like  Ursula 
Cotta,  she  felt  that  the  one  great,  loving  ob- 
ject of  her  life  was  to  rear  her  young  pro- 
tege for  that  work  to  which  God  was  mani- 
festly calling  him.  She  inspired  him  with  a 
reverence  for  holy  things;  counseled  him  in 
the  home  circle  to  cultivate  true  piety;  in- 
structed him  in  the  study  of  the  catechism; 


14  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

nurtured  and  encouraged  him  in  the  gifts 
and  graces  of  the  spiritual  life;  accompanied 
him  to  the  house  of  God;  and  placed  within 
his  reach  the  means  by  which  he  secured  an 
education.  How  gratefully  he  cherished 
this  loving  ministry  was  attested  by  his  fre- 
quent private  and  public  reference  to  it  in 
his  maturer  years.  What  undeveloped  tal- 
ent lies  dormant  in  many  a  home  and  church, 
and  lies  forever  buried  in  obscurity,  for  the 
lack  of  a  consecrated  hand  to  develope  and 
use  to  the  glory  of  God  !  Budding  genius  is 
crushed,  aspirations  thwarted,  hopes  blight- 
ed, because  no  friendly  hand  is  outstretched, 
no  kindly  word  is  uttered,  to  stimulate  to  no- 
ble purpose  and  give  wing  to  heavenly  as- 
pirations !  Struggling  under  insuperable 
burdens,  oppressed  by  poverty,  and  ignored 
by  sympathy,  how  many  young  Luthers 
there  may  be  to-day  in  our  Southland  who 
would,  in  due  time,  by  a  little  tangible  en- 
couragement, thrill  the  hearts  of  men  with 
their  eloquence  and  become  the  saviors  of 
their  country  !  It  may  be  earnestly  asked 
to  what  higher,  holier  end  can  men  devote 
their  earthly  fortune  than  that  of  striking 
the  manacles  from  fettered  genius,  and  giv- 
ing freedom  to  its  god-like  powers  ?     Long- 


LIFE-SKETCH  OP  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  15 

fellow  has  beautifully  said — 

"All  the  means  of  action — 

The  shapeless  mass,  the  materials — 

Lie  everywhere  about  us.     What  we  need 

Is  the  celestial  fire  to  change  the  flint 

Into  transparent  crystal,  bright  and  clear." 

That  "celestial  fire"  is  the  human  heart 
touched  by  divine  love,  and  thus  made  keen- 
ly responsive  to  the  needs  of  helpless  hu- 
manity. Without  the  helpfulness  of  sym- 
pathetic affection,  the  "shapeless  mass  and 
materials"  of  latent  greatness  must  remain 
unshaped  and  useless. 

So  it  doubtless  would  have  been  in 
young- Rose's  case.  But  Providence  raised 
up  these  godly  women  as  his  chosen  guar- 
dians and  succourers  in  the  day  of  need. 

J.  M.  Barrie  pays  this  loving-  tribute  to 
"Margaret  Ogilvy,  "the  maiden  name  of  his 
sainted  mother — "God  sent  her  into  the 
world  to  open  the  minds  of  all  who  looked  to 
beautiful  thoughts. " 

Such  was  the  mission  of  the  beloved 
women  who  had  in  their  sacred  keeping1  the 
destiny  of  our  young-  friend.  They,  indeed, 
"opened  his  mind  to  look  to  beautiful 
thoughts."    To  the  last  day  of  his   earthly 


16  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

life  he  was  grateful  to  them  for  the  good 
that  they  had  wrought.  When,  in  1892, 
('Aunt  Lizzie"  fell  on  sleep,  this  strong 
man  bent  over  her  grave,  and  shed  tears  of 
pungent  grief — a  grief  sanctified  only  by 
the  assurance  that — 

"We  shall  meet  where  all  time's  shadows 

To  oblivion  flee  away; 
We  shall  meet  amid  the  brightness 

Of  an  everlasting  day." 

Under  the  ministry  of  sainted  Father 
Kimball,  young  Rose  was  catechized  and 
confirmed  in  Lutheran  chapel,  Rowan 
county,  when  about  fifteen  years  old.  From 
earliest  childhood  he  had  formed  the  mental 
habit  of  storing  up  the  sermons,  prayers  and 
hymns  he  heard  in  the  sanctuar}^  and  on  his 
return  home  would  reproduce  them  from 
memory.  This  process  had  much  to  do  with 
his  skillful  use  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  pul- 
pit and  the  facility  with  which  he  recalled 
the  utterances  of  others.  His  devout  nature 
made  him  a  constant  and  sincere  student  of 
the  Bible.  Unlike  many  young  men,  he  be- 
gan his  intellectual  career  with  a  definite 
object  in  view.  Like  St.  Paul,  he  felt  "Woe 
is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel  !"    To 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  17 

this  end  he  bent  all  his  energies.  He  was 
spoken  of  as  the  "young-  preacher,"  and 
frequently  took  part  in  the  public  services 
of  the  Sunday-  school  and  prayer  meeting. 
He  was  reserved  and  quiet  in  his  deport- 
ment, and  his  brother,  Rev.  R.  S.  Patterson, 
in  writing  of  him,  says,  "Under  the  counsel 
and  training  of  his  maiden  aunts  he  was 
kept  singularly  free  from  those  habits  and 
associations  so  detrimental  to  the  religious 
development  of  young  people.  Never  were 
there  three  persons  more  loyal  and  de- 
voted to  the  Lutheran  Church.  Charlie 
was  governed  by  kindness  and  words  of 
praise  rather  than  by  coercion;  hence  he  al- 
ways manifested  a  cheerful  disposition.  He 
loved  innocent  fun,  enjoyed  a  clean  joke, 
and  mingled  in  the  social  gatherings  of  the 
neighborhood.  Both  in  early  and  in  mature 
life  he  was  quick-tempered  and  extremely 
sensitive,  yet  he  never  nursed  spite  nor 
withheld  forgiveness  of  an  injury.  All  who 
knew  him,  and  especially  those  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived,  regarded  him  as  a 
true  exponent  of  every  manly  virtue,  and 
prophesied  of  him  a  life  of  great  usefulness.  " 
It  was  a  pathetic  scene,  on  the  day  of  his 
funeral  services,  when  the  aged  sires  and  ma- 


18  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

trons-members  of  the  historic  LutheranChap- 
el  congregation-gathered  around  and  linger- 
ed beside  the  casket  of  our  sainted  friend  and 
brother,  mingling  their  tears  over  a  common 
bereavement,  yet  feeling  that  the  prophecy  of 
other  years  had  been  fulfilled;  and  as  they 
recalled  the  traits  and  deeds  of  his  noble 
life,  their  hearts  responded  to  that  proudest 
encomium  ever  uttered  of  a  human  being: 
"He  was  a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  of  faith. " 

Luther,  in  remembering  the  kindness  of 
Ursula  Cotta,  gave  utterance  to  this  beau- 
tiful thought:  "There  is  nothing  sweeter 
on  earth  than  the  heart  of  a  woman  in  which 
piety  dwells."  The  home  that  is  trellised 
and  crowned  with  maternal  piety  becomes 
the  invincible  bulwark  against  aggressive 
worldliness,  the  mightiest  curb  of  evil  pas- 
sions, and  the  holiest  inspiration  of  the  no- 
blest thoughts  and  feelings  that  find  lodg- 
ment in  the  human  breast.  Such  a  home 
sheltered  the  youthful  life  of  Charlie  Rose, 
nursed  in  his  tender  breast  the  tenderest  sen- 
timents, and  breathed  into  his  soul  the  prin- 
ciples of  a  noble  manhood. 

Longfellow  has  charmingly  said:  "Glo- 
rious indeed  is  the  world  of  God  around  us, 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  19 

but  more  glorious  tbe  world  of  God  within 
us.  There  lies  the  Land  of  Song-;  there  lies 
the  poet's  native  land."  With  greater  em- 
phasis he  may  have  added:  "But  most  glo- 
rious of  all  is  the  home  that  gives  birth  to 
noble  thoughts,  for  there  lies  the  land  of 
Eden,  the  sun-kissed  dime  of  primal  peace 
and  innocence. " 

Into  such  a  home  young  Rose  was  brought 
both  by  birth  and  adoption— a  home  sancti- 
fied by  truth  and  garlanded  by  reverence 
and  devotion. 


CHAPTER  II. 


ASPIRATIONS  AND  PROPHECIES. 


EVERYWHERE  IN  LIFE,    THE  TRUE  QUESTION  IS,    NOT   WHAT    WE 
GAIN,    BTJT  WHAT    WE    DO."—  CARI/ST.E. 

"WHAT  IS  A  GREAT  LIFE  ?  IT  IS  A  THOUGHT  CONCEIVED  IN 
THE  ENTHUSIASM  OF  YOUTH  AND  CARRIED  OUT  WITH  THE  STRENGTH 
OF    MATURITY. "— ALFRED    DE    VTGNV. 

mAZZINI  tells  us  that  "life  is  a  mis- 
sion. Every  other  definition  of  life  is 
false,  and  leads  all  who  accept  it 
astray.  Religion,  science,  philosophy  *  * 
all  agree  in  this,  that  every  existence  is  an 
aim.  "  What  that  aim  in  life  should  be  was 
voiced  even  by  Socrates,  the  great  pagan 
philosopher,  when  he  wrote,  "I  believe  that 
we  cannot  live  better  than  in  seeking  to  be- 
come better,  nor  more  agreeably  than  hav- 
ing a  good  conscience.  "  Young  Rose  had  a 
good  conscience,  a  laudable  ambition  and  a 
noble  purpose.  By  his  excellent  deport- 
ment, integrity  and  energy  he  had  won  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  young  and  old, 
for  in  the  yearning  of  his  young  heart  and 
in  his  aspirations  towards  an  honorable  goal 


LIFE-SKETCH  OP  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  21 

he  gave  evidence  of  personal  worth  and  the 
promise  of  a  splendid  return  for  all  the  inter- 
est that  had  been  centred  in  him.  Ere  he 
attained  his  majority  he  had  finished  his 
academic  studies  in  the  "old  field  schools." 
Hence,  he  left  the  adopted  home  of  his  child- 
hood and  sought  the  wider  advantages  of  col- 
lege life.  The  same  gentle  hand  that  had  led 
him  up  from  childhood  still  guided  him,  and 
the  frugal  savings  of  years  were  placed  by 
"Aunt  Lizzie"  and  her  sisters  at  his  disposal 
to  enable  Charlie  to  prosecute  his  studies. 
The  session  of  1877-78  finds  him  enrolled  as  a 
member  of  the  Sophomore  class  in  North  Ca- 
rolina College.  College  life  reveals  a  new 
world  to  the  young  mind  and  heart.  New 
views  of  human  existence  loom  up  before  the 
mental  vision, youthful  freaks  andfancies  give 
place  to  more  substantial  realities,  and  the 
easy  and  care-free  life  is  thrown  upon  its 
own  resources.  College  life  is  the  border- 
land between  the  happy  home  and  the  cold 
and  busy  world.  Happy  is  the  youth  that 
can  carry  across  that  borderline  those  im 
planted  heaven-born  elements  of  head  and 
heart  that  are  at  once  the  inspiration  and 
the  guarantee  of  an  honorable  and  success- 
ful life  ! 


22  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

Our  young"  friend  entered  upon  his  col- 
lege career  with  a  sober  earnestness  that 
held  in  check  the  buoyancy  of  spirits,  while 
his  self-reliance  taught  him  that  he  was  to 
be  the  architect  of  his  own  future.  Ardent- 
ly, patiently  and  faithfully  he  plied  his  men- 
tal task,  and  his  classmates  tell  us  that  no 
student  ever  bore  a  prouder  record  of  so- 
briety, honesty,  virtue  and  diligent  applica- 
tion than  did  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  humbleness  of  his  origin  might  have 
dampened  his  ardor  and  subdued  his  spirit. 
Not  so!     He  felt  that:— 

"Men  may  rise  on  stepping  stones 

Of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things:" — 

and  that  the  angel  of  a  beautiful  and  useful 
life  may  be  carved  out  of  the  uncouth  and 
shapeless  materials  of  an  obscure  beginning. 

He  believed — and  this  faith  became  an 
overmastering  passion-  that  "man  is  mas- 
ter of  his  fate,"  and  that  the  winds  and 
floods  of  adversity  could  not  divert  the 
dauntless  vessel  from  its  destined  port. 

Young  Rose,  turning  from  a  retrospect- 
ive glance  that,  like  a  blessed  vision,  lin- 
gered before  the  mirror  of   memory,    looked 


LIFE-SKETCH  OP  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  23 

now  to  the  wider  world  around  and  before 
him.  All  conscious  of  the  struggle  that 
greater  responsibility  involved,  he  never- 
theless was  stirred  by  those  emotions 
which  are  expressed  in  Wordsworth's  touch- 
ing sentiment,  as,  after  passing  years,  the 
deep  heavings  of  the  poet's  soul  find  pathet- 
ic utterance  in  the  language  : 

"While  here  I  stand,  not  only  with  the  sense 

Of  present  pleasure,  but  with  the  pleasing  thoughts 

That  in  this  moment  there  is  life  and  food 

For  future  years.     *    *    * 

And  I  have  felt 
A  presence  that  disturbs  me  with  the  joy 
Of  elevated  thoughts;  a  sense  sublime 
Of  something  far  more  deeply  interfused, 
Whose  dwelling  is  the  light  of  setting  suns, 
And  the  round  ocean  and  the  living  air, 
And  tho  blue  sky  and  in  the  mind  of  man; 
A  motion  and  a  spirit  that  impels, 
All  thinking  things,  all  objects  of  all  thought, 
And  rolls  through  all  things. "     *    *    *    * 

A  nature  so  ardent,  aspiring  and  self- 
assertive  as  that  possessed  by  our  young 
friend  could  not  be  satisfied  with  the  mental 
and  moral  achievements  already  secured, 
nor  would  its  steady  ambition  find  its  full 
realization  in  the    environments  of  college 


24  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  O.  A.  ROSE. 

life.  Too  many  youths  make  their  college 
days  the  wasteful  period  of  their  existence; 
they  cultivate  extravagance  in  speech,  in 
manners,  in  expenditure  of  money;  they 
form  associations  and  habits  that  are  de- 
structive of  virtue;  they  give  loose  rein  to 
frivolities  and  pleasures  that  are  mentally, 
physically  and  morally  debasing,  and  that 
repress  the  nobler  sentiments  and  emotions 
of  the  heart.  The  training  of  young  Rose 
both  by  precept  and  example  had  led  him 
to  regard  life  as  a  solemn  gift  and  each  pas- 
sing opportunity  as  a  stepping-stone  to  ex- 
alt to  better  things. 

The  college  life  of  our  young  friend  was 
bounded  by  two  sessions.  He  entered  the 
Sophomore  class,  and  the  next  session  com- 
pleted, in  addition  to  the  studies  of  the  Jun- 
ior year,  nearly  all  the  text-books  of  the 
Senior  class.  The  limited  means  at  his  com- 
mand did  not  allow  him  to  complete 
his  college  course.  His  stay  at  col- 
lege, however,  served  not  only  to  pre- 
pare him  intellectually  for  his  vocation,  but 
especially  did  it  enstamp  and  crystallize 
those  characteristics  that  manifested  them- 
selves so  prominently  in  his  maturer 
years.     These  were:  Earnestness  and  fixed- 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  O.  A.  ROSE.  25 

ness  of  purpose;  concentration  of  effort;  de- 
cidedness  of  conviction;  wise  discrimination 
in  the  choice  of  suitable  associates;  deep 
and  abiding-  sympathy  for  those  in  need; 
and  unshaken  loyalty  to  the  principles  of  a 
godly  life.  His  college  mates  regarded  him 
as  the  embodiment  of  veracity,  integrity 
and  virtue. 

North  Carolina  College  ever  afterwards 
found  a  loyal  friend  and  advocate  in 
Charles  A.  Rose.  His  contact  with  its  in- 
ner life;  his  knowledge  of  its  vicissitudes  and 
gigantic  struggles;  his  observation,  for  two 
years,  of  the  sacrifices  and  unrequited  toils 
of  its  faculty;  his  recognition  of  the  god- 
like faith  of  those  who  for  more  than  a  half 
century  had  poured  out  their  hard-earned 
treasure  for  the  founding  and  perpetuity  of 
this  institution  of  learning,  and  baptized  it 
with  their  tears  and  prayers; — all  these  so 
wrought  themselves  into  the  texture  of  his 
being  that  to  be  true  to  himself  he  felt  that 
he  must  be  true  to  his  alma  mater.  To  the 
day  of  his  death  he  never  forgot  his  first 
love.  When  his  school  and  seminary  prep- 
aration gave  place  to  the  engrossing  ac- 
tivities of  pulpit  and  pastorate  he  recogniz- 
ed that  North  Carolina  College  needed   a 


26  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

loyal  advocate  and  defender  in  ever}-  pulpit 
and  pew  of  the  North  Carolina  Synod.  The 
varying-  success  and  checkered  career  of  the 
college  had  not  met  the  ensanguined  hopes 
of  some  of  its  former  friends;  criticisms  of 
legislation  and  management  of  the  institu- 
tion had  paralyzed  the  interest  and  efforts 
of  some;  while  conflicting  sentiments  and 
opinions  in  reg*ard  to  the  wisdom  of  loca- 
tion and  expenditure  of  funds  had  alienated 
others,  who  were  unwilling-  to  be  drawn 
into  conditions  that  prophesied  disaster  to 
the  institution.  Mr.  Rose  had  decided  con- 
victions on  all  these  questions  and  issues, 
and  thoug-h  he  did  not  always  endorse  the 
legislation  of  synod,  nor  embrace  the  opin- 
ions of  some  of  his  brethren  in  regard  to  the 
college,  he  nevertheless  believed  that  the 
success  and  influence  of  Lutheranism  in 
North  Carolina  depended  very  largely  upon 
the  perpetuation  and  efficiency  of  this  school 
for  our  young-  men. 

Of  this  conviction  he  was,  during  the 
whole  of  his  pastorship  in  the  charge  he 
served  for  fifteen  years,  a  loyal  and  out- 
spoken advocate.  Such  was  the  tenacity 
with  which  he  clung"  to  what  he  conceived  to 
be  right  that  be  felt  it  to  be  his   duty  to 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  27 

stand  firm  though  he  stood  alone.  He  was 
no  time-server.  He  did  not  refuse  a  task, 
however  arduous  or  self-sacrificing".  He  did 
not  needlessly  antagonize  men.  He  dealt 
with  men  candidly  yet  cautiously.  He 
loved  to  trust  his  fellowmen  and  encourage 
whatever  gave  promise  of  their  exaltation. 
At  the  same  time  he  recognized  human  weak- 
ness and  the  fallibility  of  human  judgment; 
hence,  he  did  not  always  reveal  himself  ex- 
cept to  his  restricted  circle  of  friends,  nor 
did  he  encourage  intimacies  and  familiarities 
that  would  compromise  the  dignity  of  his 
character.  He  was  lenient  in  his  judgment 
of  men  because  he  knew  that  human  infalli- 
bility finds  no  sanction  either  in  contact 
with  men  or  in  the  teachings  of  the  Word  of 
God. 

His  teachers  and  classmates  in  college 
and  theological  seminary  testify  to  the  up- 
rightness of  his  life,  the  sincerity  of  his  mo- 
tives, and  the  zeal  with  which  he  discharged 
his  duties. 

In  1880,  Mr.  Rose,  then  in  his  23d  year, 
attended  the  Southern  Lutheran  Theological 
Seminary,  located  at  Salem,  Va.  He  spent 
two  sessions  in  this  school  of  the  prophets, 
virtually  completing  the  curriculum  of  study 


28  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

in  these  two  years.  In  the  summer  of  1881 
he  accepted  a  call  to  become  pastor  of  the 
Floyd  Pastorate  in  Virginia.  He  was  or- 
dained by  the  Southwest  Virginia  Synod  at 
its  meeting-  in  Clover  Hollow  Church,  in 
Giles  County,  Virginia,  in  August,  1881. 
The  enthusiasm  of  bis  spirit  knew  no 
bounds  when  he  entered  upon  his  pastoral 
work.  He  had  yearned  for  active  work  in 
the  ministry,  and  whilst  be  experienced  that 
laudable  timidity  that  should  characterize 
all  who  assume  so  responsible  a  task,  he 
nevertheless  believed  that  the  widest  and 
grandest  field  for  the  exercise  of  human  ef- 
fort is  that  which  spreads  out  before  the 
eager  heart  and  consecrated  life  of  the  true 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  not  rash 
and  impetuous  in  assuming  the  work;  rather, 
he  felt  that  duty  to  God  and  man  and  fealty 
to  the  inheritance  and  traditions  of  his 
younger  years  left  no  option  in  the  course 
before  him.  He  labored  in  the  Floyd  pas- 
torate about  three  years.  Those  years, 
though  brief,  were  full  of  activity  and  spiri- 
tual fruitage.  Tenderly  and  lovingly  did 
he  interweave  his  life  into  the  lives  of  his 
noble  parishioners,  as  he  went  in  and  out 
before   them,  breaking  the  Bread  of  Life, 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  29 

sympathizing  with  the  unfortunate,  comfort- 
ing" the  sorrowing",  and  by  conduct  and  con- 
versation emphasizing"  the  holy  gospel  which 
he  preached. 

Feeling,  however,  that  his  own  synod 
should  have  his  best  service,  he  resigned  the 
Floyd  charg"e,  and  on  July  9th,  1884,  accept- 
ed the  call  extended  to  him  by  the  joint 
councils  of  St.  Paul's,  Bethel  and  Christ 
churches,  of  Rowan  county,  N.  C.  Even 
now,  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  a  score  of 
years,  the  brethren  of  the  Floyd  pastorate 
cherish  his  name  and  memory  as  a  sacred 
treasure,  and  many  of  them  gratefully  recall 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  discharged  his 
duty,  the  richness  of  his  pulpit  utterances, 
and  the  fruitfulness  of  his  pastoral  energy. 

Some  of  the  pioneers  of  the  grand  old 
Lutheran  church  in  that  section  have  been 
called  from  their  earthly  labors  to  their 
eternal  triumph,  and,  like  our  sainted  broth- 
er, have  entered  the  courts  made  glorious 
with  the  Savior's  presence.  What  a  joyful 
meeting  it  must  have  been  when  pastor  and 
parishioner,  bloodwashed  and  glorified,  met 
before  the  great  white  throne  in  heavenly 
and  eternal  recognition  !  With  a  sublime 
and  heroic  trust  in  God,  each  was  "faithful 


30  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  O.  A.  ROSE. 

unto  death, "  and  in  the  prospect  of  a  bless- 
ed world  beyond,  could  triumphantly  ex- 
claim— 

"There  is  a  future  !    O,  thank  God, 
Of  life  this  is  so  small  a  part ! 
'Tis  dust  to  dust  beneath  the  sod, 
But  there,  up  there,  'tis  heart  to  heart." 

On  May  25th,  1882,  Mr.  Rose  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Maria  S.  Patterson, 
of  Rowan  county,  N.  C.  This  union  was  the 
culmination  of  a  mutual  affection  reaching* 
back  to  boyhood's  days  and  growing  strong- 
er as  the  years  went  by.  His  wife  was  a 
true  companion  and  helpmeet.  Each  made 
the  other's  happiness  complete.  The  exact- 
ing and  arduous  labors  of  ministerial  life 
were  sweetened  and  inspired  by  her  devo- 
tion, and  the  new-made  home  was  made  rest- 
ful and  attractive  by  the  tender  touches  of 
her  taste  and  refinement.  Of  her  it  might 
be  truly  said — 

"She  was  the  rainbow  to  the  storms  of  life, 
The  evening  beam  that  smiles  the  clouds  away, 
And  tints  to-morrow  with  prophetic  ray." 

Seven  bright,  promising  children  sprang 
from  this  marriage,  one  of  whom,  while  in 
its  infancy,  preceded  its  father  to  the  Heav- 
enly Mansions. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  PULPIT. 


BUT  IN  HIS  DUTY  PROMPT  AT  EVERY  CALL, 
BEE  WATCHED  AND  'WEPT,   HE  PRAYED  AND  FELT  FOR  ALL." 

QOLDBMITU. 

"gKILLFUL  AT.IK  H-.  WITH  TONGUE  AND  PEN, 

HI  PREACHED  TO  ALL  MEN  BVERTWHEBE 

THAT  GOSPEL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  RULE, 

THE  NEW  COMMANDMENT  GIVEN  TO  MEN, 

THINKING  THE  DEED,  AND  NOT  THE  CREED, 

WOULD  HELP  US  IN  OUR  UTMOST  NEED." LONGFELLOW. 


THE  pulpit  is  the  mirror  of  human  char- 
acter. It  reflects  the  man,  his  intel- 
lectual and  moral  attainments,  his 
passions,  his  motives,  his  gifts  of  eloquence. 
No  other  position  in  life  will  so  tax  one's 
powers;  none  is  so  fraught  with  tremendous 
responsibility.  While  it  affords  to  the 
worthy  the  grandest  opportunities  and  re- 
sponsibilities for  sanctified  influence  and 
exercise  of  talent,  it  may  at  the  same  time 
be  the  exalted  height  from  whence  the  un- 
worthy have  fallen  into  the  deepest  depths 
of  ignominy  and  shame.  It  is  well  that  Di- 
vine wisdom  has  arranged  this  antithesis; 
otherwise,  the  vanities  and  inordinate  ambi- 


32  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

tions  of  men  would  turn  the  pulpit  to  the 
most  unholy  uses,  and  usurp  functions 
from  which  the  godliest  men  of  the  ages 
have  shrunk  with  reverential  awe.  The  pul- 
pit and  the  preacher  must  be  counterparts 
and  complements  of  each  other.  The  former 
must  be  an  impregnable  bulwark  of  a  spot- 
less Faith,  the  latter  the  uncompromising 
exponent  and  mouthpiece  of  that  Faith 
which  alone  can  regenerate  the  world.  Both 
are  the  target  of  the  world 'sin  tolerance  and 
criticism. 

Butler,  in  his  "Hudibras,  "aims his  mer- 
ciless sarcasm  and  wit  at  the  degeneracy  of 
the  pulpit  and  preacher  in  his  day  when  he 
ironically  asks  : — 

"What  makes  all  doctrines  plain  and  clear  ?  " — 

and  then  proceeds  to  answer- 

" About  two  hundred  pounds  a  year, 
And  that  which  was  proved  true  before, 
Prove  false  again.     Two  hundred  more." 

Such  gibes  and  sneers  not  only  show  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  but  should  also  warn  the 
Church  of  God  that  she  has  nothing  to  hope 
for  from  the  malignant  spirit  of  the  age  in 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  33 

which  we  live. 

Rev.  Rose  believed  that  a  strong-  pulpit 
makes  a  strong-  people,  and  that  the  best 
food  upon  which  to  feed  the  people  is  the 
unadulterated  doctrines  enunciated  in  the 
Word  of  God  and  proclaimed  by  the  Luther- 
an Church  from  the  beginning"  of  her  history. 
He  disliked  a  controversial  spirit,  and  never, 
in  a  critical  study  of  the  Bible,  found  aught 
to  shake  his  faith  in  its  inspiration.  His  pul- 
pit utterances,  therefore,  were  fresh  from 
the  * 'oracles  of  God."  He  never  apologized 
for  the  truth,  nor  was  he  ashamed  to  stand 
as  its  open  defender. 

We  may  note  some  features  that  char- 
acterized him  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ: 

1.  He  was  a  close  student  of  the  Script- 
ures. The  sacred  page  was  his  daily  text- 
book. From  a  child  he  was  familiar  with  the 
g*ospels  and  epistles  of  the  New  Testament. 
With  a  carefully  trained  and  retentive  mem- 
ory, he  was  never  at  a  loss  in  the  pulpit  for 
any  quotation  from  Holy  Writ  or  Bible  illus- 
tration that  would  serve  to  fix  the  truth 
upon  the  mind  of  the  hearer.  The  exacting" 
demands  for  pastoral  work  in  a  large  and 
growing"  field  were  never  allowed  to  encroach 


34  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

upon  his  private  study;  his  sermons,  there- 
fore, were  maturely  prepared  before  enter- 
ing- the  pulpit.  He  was  a  careful  writer, 
leaving"  little  or  nothing-  for  extemporaneous 
remarks.  His  sermons  were  delivered  from 
manuscript. 

His  natural  timidity  and  distrust  of  self, 
together  with  the  awe  with  which  he  regard- 
ed the  delivery  of  the  "Word,  made  preach- 
ing a  great  cross  which  he  could  not  have 
carried  but  by  the  grace  of  God.  The  writer 
recalls  the  frequent  interchange  of  thoughts 
and  feelings  on  this  subject  with  our  sainted 
brother.  Only  a  short  while  before  his  de- 
cease, in  speaking  of  men  who  abandon 
the  ministr37  for  some  other  more  lucrative 
or  less  laborious  occupation,  he  exclaimed, 
with  a  heart  full  of  emotion,  "No,  I  shall 
never  desert  my  colors  !  When  I  fall,  it 
shall  be  at  the  post  of  duty  !"  And  yet  such 
courageous  resolve  was  not  born  of  nature. 
Naturally  he  was  timid,  reserved,  shrinking; 
by  the  strength  begotten  of  God's  spirit  he 
exalted  the  christian  above  the  man,  and 
laid  under  willing  tribute  every  factor  of  his 
being  to  the  glory  of  God.  With  Paul  he 
could  truly  say,  "I  live;  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  35 

live  in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the 
Son  of  God." 

Thus,  notwithstanding-  the  ordeal  of 
public  service,  he  spoke  from  a  heart  regen- 
erated by  the  Holy  Spirit.  His  sermons 
breathed  the  tenderness  of  love  and  persua- 
sion, exhorting-  to  a  nobler  life;  when  warn- 
ing's and  expostulations  against  specific  sins 
were  uttered,  there  was  the  recognition  of 
that  divine  authority  which  constrained  him 
"to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God. "  The 
burden  of  his  sermons  was  "Jesus  Christ 
and  Him  Crucified;"  the  prophecy  was 
"Man's  Salvation." 


2.  He  was  scripturally  conservative  in 
church  worlc.  Sensationalism  found  no  advo- 
cate in  him.  He  did  his  work  quietly  and  unos- 
tentatiously, unmoved  by  artificial  methods 
and  practices  so  prevalent  in  some  sections 
of  the  country.  His  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence of  God's  Word  constrained  him  to  re- 
gard Divine  Truth  alone  as  all-sufficient  for 
the  uplift  of  humanity;  and  that  any  "high- 
pressure  methods"  were  a  rehash  of  the 
heretical  mysticism  of  Post-Mcene  days,  a 
perpetuation  of  papistical  "work-righteous- 


36  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

ness, "  and  a  dishonoring"  of  the  Plan  of 
Salvation  through  faith  in  Christ.  The  com- 
promising attitude  of  many  churches  in  these 
latter  days  has  grown  out  of  the  suicidal  at- 
tempt to  render  truth  palatable  to  the  carnal 
mind.  Human  philosophy  is  substituted 
for  Divine  Wisdom;  and  emotionalism  and 
temporary  reformation,  instead  of  regenera- 
tion, are  made  the  basis  of  a  new  life. 

The  pulpits  of  St.  Paul's,  Bethel  and 
Christ  churches  under  the  guidance  of  Rev. 
Rose  gave  forth  no  uncertain  sound  as  re- 
gards the  vital  doctrines  of  Christianity. 
Every  sermon  was  a  polished  mirror  in 
which  was  reflected  in  clear  and  definite 
outline  the  issues  of  "the  life  that  now  is, 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come. " 

The  effect  of  these  teachings  is  seen  in 
the  doctrinal  and  practical  stability  of  the 
people  to  whom  he  ministered,  as  well  as  in 
the  numerical  growth  and  substantial  prog- 
ress of  the  congregations.  During  the  first 
ten  years  of  his  pastorship  of  the  Bethel 
charge  the  statistics  show  that  he  added  to 
his  membership  by  infant  baptism  188  chil- 
dren, confirmed  200  adults,  and  received  b}^ 
certificate  25  persons;  making  an  average  of 
over  40   additions  for  each  synodical  year. 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  37 

This  summary  of  facts  and  results  shows  that 
the  spasmodic  and  unscriptural  methods  so 
common  in  the  modern-day  "revivalism" 
are  not  necessary  to  the  stability  and  prog- 
ress of  the  Church. 

3.  He  was  patient  in  service,  and  prompt 
in  meeting  all  ministerial  engagements.  Fail- 
ure in  these  respects  has  weakened  many  a 
preacher's  influence.  Some  are  too  anxious 
to  see  the  results  of  their  efforts,  others  are 
not  sufficiently  aggressive.  It  is  a  happy 
adjustment  that  results  from  the  antithetic 
teaching  of  God's  Word — "Sit  still,  and  see 
the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  "and  "Do  with  thy 
might  whatsoever  thy  hand  iindeth  to  do. " 
Happy  is  he  who  can  wait  patiently  on  God, 
and  yet  leave  no  individual  agency  uuused 
in  the  accomplishment  of  good  !  Rev.  Rose 
happily  combined  these  two  elements  of 
christian  character. 

Hartranft,  in  his  "Biography  of  Luther,  " 
says  of  the  great  Reformer — "'He  sought  to 
penetrate  all  life  with  a  higher  life."  This, 
certainly,  is  the  noblest  service  we  can 
render  mankind,  and  in  fulfilling  this  design 
we  become  "  co-workers  with  Jesus  Christ,  " 
who  is  "the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life." 


38  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

With  loyal  obedience  our  brother  endeavor- 
ed, by  patient  service  and  untiring-  zeal,  to 
lead  men  into  the  "better  way." 

4.  He  was  candid  and  unselfish.  He  de- 
spised artifice  and  self-seeking*.  The  nobili- 
ty of  his  character  was  seen  in  his  scrupu- 
lous adherence  to  the  Golden  Rule.  He 
dealt  with  his  clerical  and  lay  brethren  of 
the  synod  with  fraternal  candor,-  and  rather 
than  seek  preferment,  he  rejoiced  over  the 
successes  of  his  associates  in  church  work. 
The  issues  which  frequently  sprang- up  in  the 
legislative  and  executive  work  of  synod 
were  safely  intrusted  to  his  wisdom,  and  it 
will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  minutes  of 
synod  that  many  of  the  most  important 
measures  were  wisely  directed  by  his  discre- 
tion and  good  judgment.  He  did  not  hastily 
arrive  at  conclusions.  His  mind  did  not 
readily  conceive  abstract  truths;  his  mental 
strength  lay  in  his  ability  to  adapt  means 
and  measures  for  the  attainment  of  certain 
ends.  His  sole  desire  was  to  advance  the 
interests  of  Christ's  Kingdom,  and  not  his 
own  aggrandizement.  One  of  the  philoso- 
phers of  the  present  day  was  recently 
asked,    "What   virtue  is  greatest  in  human 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  39 

character?  "  He  replied  by  saying-,  "Content- 
ment. "  Is  it  not  true,  however,  that  Un- 
selfishness  is  the  crowning  grace  of  the  hu- 
man heart  ?  Whatever  other  virtue  Rey. 
Rose  possessed,  his  unselfish  disposition  dis- 
played itself  in  all  his  actions,  and  won  for 
him  a  proud  distinction  among  his  fellow- 
men. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  MAN  IN  THE  PASTORATE. 


POWEB,   IN    ITS    QOALITT  AND    DEGREE.    IS    THE    MEASURE   OP 
MANHOOD."— J.    G.   HOLLAND. 

"iS  PLEASAUI    SONQ8,    AT  MORNDfG  SUNG, 

THE  WORDS  THAT  DKOFPBD  FROM  HIS  SWEET  TONGUE 

STRENGTHENED  OUR  HEISTS)    OR  HEARD  AT  NIGHT, 

MADE  ALL  OUR   SLUMBERS   SOFT  AND  LIGHT." LONGFELLOW. 

It  is  not  easy  to  combine  the  elements 
of  preacher  and  pastor. 

One  may  succeed  in  the  pulpit,  but  sig- 
nally fail  in  the  pastorate,  and  vice  versa. 
The  qualifications  fitting"  for  the  one  office 
are  quite  different  from  those  of  the  other, 
and  very  few  men  are  so  elastic  and  many- 
sided  as  to  measure  up  to  the  diverse  re- 
quirements of  both  positions.  In  the  Old 
Testament  polity  the  priest  and  prophet 
formed  two  distinct  functions,  whereas  un- 
der the  New  Testament  these  two  offices 
blend  together.  The  minister  must  be  both 
priest  and  prophet,  not  in  an  Old  Testament 
sense,or  even  in  the  sense  of  modern  hierarch- 
ical pretentions  and  claims;  but  in  this  sense, 
that  the  minister  is  to  stand  as  a  prophet  in 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  41 

the  sacred  desk  to  declare  the  riches  of  grace 
and  truth  as  they  are  presented  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  as  a  priest,  to  stand  at  the 
altar  to  administer  the  Sacraments  of  the 
Church  and  direct  her  ordinances. 

The  pulpit,  however,  is  to  reach  the 
people  as  a  mass,  as  an  aggregate;  the  altar 
is  to  reach  each  individual.  To  do  the  latter 
effectively,  every  individual  of  the  congrega- 
tion requires  spiritual  preparation,  instruc- 
tion and  exhortation.  Here  opens  up  that 
unique  New  Testament  arrangement  by 
which  the  two-fold  functions  of  the  minister 
are  aptly  set  forth  by  the  term  pastor. 

What  is  a  pastor  ?  The  idea  is  grandly 
expressed  by  the  German  word  Seelsorger; 
literally,  "he  who  has  the  care  of  the  soul.  " 
But  in  order  to  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  it 
must  be  fed  with  appropriate  food,  just  as 
the  body,  in  order  to  proper  health  and 
growth,  must  be  fed  with  appropriate  food. 
The  pastor,  therefore,  is  "one  who  feeds," 
or  nourishes  the  soul  with  the  divine  word, 
which  to  each  individual  must  be,  in  turn,  a 
word  of  instruction,  of  direction,  of  exhorta- 
tion, of  reproof,  of  encouragement,  of  conso- 
lation, of  correction  in  righteousness,  etc. 
But  hoAv  can  each  individual  of  the  congre- 


42  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

gation  be  reached  as  to  his  spiritual  needs  ? 
And,  more  than  all,  how  can  those  who  do 
not  attend  the  sanctuary  be  reached  and 
saved  ?  The  answer  to  these  most  vital 
questions  is  found  in  pastoral  visitation.  The 
labor  and  responsibility  involved  in  the  task 
of  caring  for  and  leading"  a  community  of  in- 
dividuals may  well  appall  the  bravest 
heart.  St.  Paul  gives  expression  to  his  awe- 
burdened  feelings  when  he  speaks  of  "that 
which  cometh  upon  me  daily  -the  care  of  all 
the  churches."  Yes,  the  care,  the  anxiety, 
the  sleepless  vigilance,  of  a  true  pastor's 
life  !  Who  but  the  God-fearing  pastor  can 
feel  the  oppressive  weight  of  his  position, 
understand  its  self-sacrifices,  or  measure  its 
fearful  responsibilities  ! 

His  talents,  his  taste,  his  aptitude,  his 
ceaseless  energy,  his  undying  love  for  souls 
— all  are  involved  in  the  pastor's  work,  and 
will  be  called  into  incessant  exercise.  Even 
St.  Paul,  with  all  his  vast  experience  in 
"caring  for  the  churches,"  had  no  concep- 
tion of  the  complicated  and  divergent  condi- 
tions that  confront  the  minister  of  the  pres- 
ent day  in  the  management  of  his  pastorate! 
The  antagonistic  factors  so  evident  in  the 
pastorate  and  which  constitute  so  formidable 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  43 

a  barrier  to  the  peace  and  spiritual  progress 
of  the  people,  cause  many  a  midnight  heart- 
ache to  the  true  pastor,  and,  in  spite  of  his 
soul-consuming-  ardor,  discourage  him  in  the 
work  he  is  trying  to  do.  O  that  each  mem- 
ber of  the  church  could  realize  that  he  is  "a 
priest  of  holy  things,"  and  that  upon  his 
godliness,  peace  making-  zeal  and  unselfish 
interest  in  others  depend  so  largely  the  up- 
lift of  the  community  and  the  stability  of 
the  home,  the  Church  and  the  State  !  How 
sad  that  among  men  professing"  to  believe  in 
the  Christian  Religion — the  only  religion 
that  can  cleanse  and  sanctify  the  heart  and 
life — there  should  be  such  inconsistencies 
and  antagonisms  as  will  forever  forestall  the 
work  of  sanctification  and  the  resultant 
spiritual  unification  of  the  people! 

These  were  subjects  of  frequent  confer- 
ence between  Rev.  Rose  and  the  writer.  Be- 
ing pastors  of  adjacent  and  partially  over- 
lapping pastorates,  we  were  frequently 
thrown  into  each  other's  company;  and  this 
intercourse  was  never  without  spiritual 
profit  to  the  writer.  Pastors  especially  have 
need,  at  times,  of  counsel  and  comfort.  Who 
above  all  other  human  beings  is  so  qualified 
to  give  them  as  a  frank,  honest,  true-hearted 


44  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

co-laborer  in  the  ministry  !  Freely  we  un- 
burdened our  souls  to  each  other;  candidly 
we  criticised  each  other's  weaknesses;  hon- 
estly we  strove  to  assist  each  other  by  coun- 
sel and  encouragement.  His  honesty  of 
heart  and  disinterestedness  of  motives  are 
treasured  as  among  the  most  beautiful  traits 
of  his  character. 

His  sincere  sympathy  brought  him  into 
contact  with  all  classes  of  his  parishioners. 
His  tender  interest  in  the  children  drew  them 
to  him;  his  cordiality  made  him  a  welcome 
visitor  in  every  home.  His  people  lay  near 
his  heart,  and  in  all  their  plans  and  enter- 
prises, doubts  and  difficulties,  trials  and  be- 
reavements, they  consulted  him  freely.  The 
confiding  relationship  existing  between  pas- 
tor and  flock  constituted  his  pastorate  a 
paternity — he  the  spiritual  father,  they  the 
dutiful  children. 

He  was  an  accurate  observer  of  human 
nature.  He  approached  men  on  their  better 
side  and  knew  how  tactfully  to  draw  out  and 
utilize  the  best  that  was  in  men.  Through 
"the  constraint  of  love"  he  made  men  feel 
that  their  contact  with  him  was  of  a  whole- 
some character. 

At  times  he  may  have  been  charged  with 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  45 

the  semblance  of  flattery;  if  so,  it  was  that 
guileless  artifice  which  St.  Paul  used  when 
he  wrote  to  the  Corinthian  church,  "*  *  be- 
ing" crafty,  I  caught  you  with  guile. ' ' 

Again,  he  may  not  have  been  so  aggres- 
sive in  church  work  as  some  of  a  more  im- 
petuous nature.  The  Germanic  type  of 
character  with  which  he  had  to  deal  pre- 
cluded rapid  development.  Hence  he  be- 
lieyed  that  the  good  seed  patiently  sown 
would,  in  God's  own  good  time,  bring  forth 
its  abundant  fruitage. 

,  The  sower  does  not  always  gather  the 
harvests  of  his  sowings.  "One  soweth,  and 
another  reapeth."  The  faithful  worker  in 
the  Lord's  vineyard  may  rejoice  in  the 
knowledge  that  God's  own  time  is  best,  and 
that  He  will  take  care  of  the  results. 

Rev.  Rose  was  a  favorate  preacher  in 
all  the  churches  of  the  North  Carolina  Syn- 
od. During  his  fifteen  years'  pastorship  of 
the  Bethel  charge  he  preached  from  time  to 
time  in  nearly  one-half  of  the  pulpits  in  the 
synod.  He  had  a  missionary  spirit,  and 
loved  "to  do  good  as  he  had  opportuni- 
ty." His  broad  mind  and  practical  experi- 
ence added  to  his  influence  wherever  he  was 
known,  and  gave  to  the  synod  its  meed  of 


46  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

prestige  and  power.  One  special  feature  of 
his  work,  and  one  that  calls  for  imitation, 
was  the  exactness  that  marked  every  detail 
of  that  work.  He  never  did  anything  by 
halves.  He  was  systematic,  though  not 
stereotyped;  persistent  in  execution,  yet  not 
indifferent  to  circumstances.  Wherever  he 
went  he  carried  a  calm,  steady  air  of  seren- 
ity and  kindness.  Naturally  excitable  and 
nervous,  he  carefully  and  resolutely  main- 
tained a  mental  equipoise  on  all  questions 
and  experiences  requiring  weighty  consider- 
ation and  decisive  action.  His  good  judg- 
ment guarded  him  against  mental  bias,  and 
enabled  him  to  avoid  those  conflicting  issues 
that  unhappily  sometimes  distract  the  com- 
munity and  alienate  brethren.  With  excel- 
lent tact  he  managed  differences  between 
neighbors  and  friends,  and  brought  reconcil- 
iation and  harmony  out  of  apparently  irre- 
concilable issues. 

With  the  olive  branch  of  peace,  he 
sought  to  make  men  happy;  and  by  being 
himself  a  noble  example  of  the  religion  he 
professed,  he  constrained  men  to  aspire  to 
higher  attainments  in  their  intellectual  and 
moral  life.  Such  a  man  cannot  but  be  "the 
salt  of  the  earth"  and  "the  light  that  cannot 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  O.  A.  ROSE.  47 

be  hid."   . 

Having"  cast  his  lot  among*  a  rural  peo- 
ple who  knew  him  from  his  boyhood  and 
who  honored  him  with  their  confidence  and 
support,  lie  was  content  to  live  and  die 
among  them.  Other  more  lucrative  fields 
invited  him,  but  with  a  humble  spirit  he  la- 
bored on,  growing-  year  by  year  stronger  in 
the  affection  of  his  people.  The  portraiture 
which  Goldsmith  draws  of  a  godly  minister 
most  fittingly  delineates  the  character  of 
our  beloved  brother  : 

"Remote  from  towns  he  ran  his  godly  race, 

Nor  e'er  had  changed,  or  wished  to  change  his  place: 

Unpracticed  he  to  fawn,  or  seek  for  power, 

By  doctrines  fashioned  to  the  varying  hour: 

For  other  aims  his  heart  had  learned  to  prize, 

More  skilled  to  raise  the  wretched  than  to  rise." 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  MAN  AND  THE  CITIZEN. 


KB  WHO  IS  FALSE  TO  FSESBNT  DUTY  BREAKS  A.  THREAD  IN  IH8 
LOOM,  AND  WILL  FIND  TUB  FLAW  WHEN  KB  MAY  HATE  FOROOTTEN  ITS 
OAU9H." HENRY  WARD  B2ECHER. 

"tiib   BUSY  -world   SHOVES  ANGRILY  ASIDE 
THE  MAN  WHO  STANDS  WITH  ARMS  AKIMBO  SET. 
UNTIL  OCCASION  TELL  HIM  WHAT  TO  DOS 

AND  HB  WHO  WAITS   TO  HATE  HIS  TASK    MARKBD  OUT, 
WILL  DIE  AND  LEAVE  HIS  ERRAND  UNFULFILLED."-— LOWELL, 


6DMUND  BURKE,  in  his  "Reflections 
on  the  Revolution  in  France,"  empha- 
sizes public  responsibility  in  these 
words:  "All  persons  possessing"  any  por- 
tion of  power  ought  to  be  strongly  and  aw- 
fully impressed  with  an  idea  that  they  act  in 
trust,  and  that  they  are  to  account  for  their 
conduct  in  that  trust  to  the  one  great  Mas- 
ter, Author  and  founder  of  society." 

None  more  seriously  recognizes  this  than 
the  intelligent,  consecrated  minister  of  the 
gospel.  While  he  is  a  subject  of  the  King- 
dom of  God,  he  is,  at  the  same  time,  a  citizen 
of  the  world.  Or,  as  Vinet  declares,  "As  re- 
ligion adopts  the  whole  of  human  life  in  or- 


LIFE-SKETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  49 

der  to  elevate  it,  the  pastor,  who  is  the 
most  perfect  representative  of  religion, 
ought,  in  the  same  degree,  to  be  a  represent- 
ative of  human  life. " 

He  has  a  social  and  political,  as  well  as 
professional  and  ecclesiastical  life.  Each 
has  its  duties  and  responsibilities;  each  is 
replete  with  labor  and  sacrifice;  each  has  its 
full  share  of  test  and  criticism.  This  two- 
fold relationship  often  brings  conflicts.  The 
abnormal  conditions  of  society  and  govern- 
ment are  sometimes  at  variance  with  the 
clearly  defined  principles  of  God's  Kingdom. 
The  conscientious  christian  has  no  option  in 
such  contingency.  He  must  be  true  to  his 
principles  and  convictions  even  at  the  risk 
of  public  detraction  and  opposition.  What- 
ever others  may  do,  he  must  by  precept  and 
example  be  the  exponent  of  virtue,  benevo- 
lence, unselfishness  and  moral  progress.  In 
a  word,  the  material,  intellectual,  social 
and  moral  welfare  of  the  community  must 
lay  near  his  heart  and  engage  the  attention 
of  his  brain  and  hand.  The  christian  minis- 
ter is  expected  to  suggest,  initiate  and 
direct  measures  and  movements  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  people;  while  his  knowledge  of 
those  factors  that  are  conducive  to  this  end 


50  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

gives   him   a   mighty   lever  for  the   accom- 
plishment of  good. 

Rev.  Rose  was  closely  identified  with 
the  best  interests  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lived.  His  mature  judgment  solved  many 
a  neighborhood  problem.  It  was  wonderful 
what  influence  he  commanded  among  men  of 
all  classes,  regardless  of  denominational  or 
political  affiliations.  For  several  years 
prior  to  his  death  he  was  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Rowan  County. 
His  faithful  execution  of  the  duties  of  the 
office  is  a  matter  of  public  record.  During 
his  administration  the  educational  interests 
of  the  county  received  such  an  impetus  as 
to  constitute  his  term  of  service  a  transitional 
period  in  educational  affairs.  His  worthy 
colleagues  speak  in  highest  praise  of  the 
promptness  with  which  he  discharged  his 
duty,  as  well  as  the  prudence  which  he  ex- 
hibited in  all  the  complicated  details  of  his 
office.  "The  prudent  man,"  says  Adam 
Smith,  "always  studies  serious]}'  and  earn- 
estly to  understand  whatever  he  professes 
to  understand.  *  *  and  though  his  tal- 
ents may  not  always  be  very  brilliant,  they 
are  always   perfectly  genuine.  His 

conversation  is  simple  and  modest;  and   he 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  51 

is  averse  to  all  quackish  arts  by  which  other 
people  so  frequently  thrust  themselves  into 
public  notice  and  reputation.  As  he  is 
cautious  in  his  actions,  so  is  he  reserved  in 
speech;  and  never  rashly  or  unnecessarily 
obtrudes  his  opinion  concerning"  either 
thing's  or  persons. " 

Rev.  Rose  was  prudent,  not  from  policy, 
but  from  principle;  and  this,  with  his  can- 
dor, gave  him  vast  influence  among  his  co- 
laborers.  His  sagacious  insight  and  cau- 
tious planning  made  it  safe  to  adopt  and 
prosecute  whatever  he  proposed;  and  fre- 
quently when  critical  issues  presented  them- 
selves, his  ingenuous  mind  resolved  the  diffi- 
culties by  suggesting  the  proper  mode  of 
precedure. 

He  sought  no  popularity  that  would  in 
the  least  cast  a  reflection  upon  the  dignity 
of  his  high  calling  as  a  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ;  and  yet  he  was  justly  held  in  such 
high  esteem  that  he  could  have  commanded 
any  official  distinction  within  the  gift  of  his 
people.  He  was  first  of  all  an  ambassador 
of  Christ;  and  no  act  or  word  of  his  ever 
left  a  tarnish  upon  the  lustre  and  glory  of 
that  high  office. 

Men  are  prone  to  criticise  the  minister; 


52  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

to  misinterpret  his  utterances,  motives  and 
acts;  to  assign  him  restricted  bounds  beyond 
which  he  dare  not  pass;  to  erect  for  him  a 
standard  of  perfection  such  as  they  do  not 
attempt  to  apply  to  themselves.  The  true 
minister  courts  investigation  of  his  words, 
acts  and  motives.  He  has  nothing  to  con- 
ceal. His  whole  life  is  an  open  book.  Rev. 
Rose  recognized  all  this,  and  he  acted  upon 
it.  No  man  was  more  free,  frank  and  trans- 
parent in  every  expression  of  his  life.  And 
yet  the  writer  has  never  heard  from  the  lips 
of  any  one  a  single  word  derogatory  to  the 
character  of  Rev.  0.  A.  Rose,  or  detractive 
of  the  sincerity  of  his  motives.  What  a 
proud  eulogy  is  this  of  the  minister  and  the 
citizen  !  In  all  his  intercourse  and  dealings 
with  men  he  was  pacific,  affable  and  honest; 
hence  he  could  not  be  classed  with  those 
ministers  whom  Vinet  denominates  "thorny 
men,  with  whom  one  fears  to  have  to  do. " 

One  of  his  co-workers  in  the  educational 
field  speaks  of  him  in  the  following  eulogist- 
ic terms  : 

"He  was  the  splendidly  poised  balance- 
wheel  that  kept  men  steadily  adjusted  to  all 
their  work,  secular  and  religious.  The  com- 
munity received  a  shock  when  he  fell  asleep. " 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  53 

Added  to  this  is  the  following"  beautiful 
testimonial  from  Rev.  W.  A.  Lutz,  President 
of  North  Carolina  College  : 

"Rev.  C.  A.  Rose  was  a  most  impartial 
presiding  officer  of  synod.  He  made  the 
humblest  minister  feel  the  warmth  of  his 
great  heart.  In  the  distribution  of  the  leg- 
islative  work  of  synod  he  made  those  pas- 
tors who  received  the  smallest  salaries  and 
held  the  humblest  pastorates  feel  that  they 
had  in  him  a  true  friend  and  brother.  To 
this  the  pastors  of  this  class  have  borne  fre- 
quent testimony  to  the  writer.  It  is  these 
little  thoughtful  tendernesses  that  consti- 
tuted the  greatness  of  his  character. " 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  VOICE  AND  THE  MESSAGE. 


THE     VOICE      OF      OKI      CRYING     DC        THE        WTI/DERXESS,         MAKE 
STRAIGHT    THE    WAT    OF    THE    LOBD." BIBLE. 


WO,  J*0  S       THE  S9XHOT  OP    XL,Kj7E  MAT  BE 

-■>    4WEB    XHE  GEATI,    JbET  XOT  BKSl'V| 
AJs'I>  HE  WHO   PLAG6'B  SOT  IN  aASTBLY   STRIFE. 

M   S1HEXG1B  TO  STREXfllB   ADTAJfOINB — ■ONIJTf  Ji»: 
LS   SOUI-.  WELL-KSII,    A>'I>  ALL  HIS   BATTLES  "WON. 
.        HARDLY,    ro  ETERNAL,    l/I'.l'B." 

-MA11'*!  W    A  EUTOEOD. 

THE  century-  grandest  of  all  centuries — 
was  ebbing"  to  its  close  when  Rev. 
Rose  fell  on  sleep.  In  the  providence 
of  God  it  was  not  his  privilege  to  catch  the 
day-dawn  of  the  Twentieth  Century.  With 
flashing  eye  and  pulsing-  bosom,  he  stood 
midway  between  the  gates  that  shut  out 
the  old,  and  opened  a  new  era  of  the  world's 
history.  He  was  no  pessimist  sighing*  in 
dolorous  strains — 

"Life  is  a  waste  of  wearisome  hours, 
Which  seldom  the  rose  of  enjoyment  adorns, 
And  the  heart  that  is  soonest  awake  to  the  flowers, 
Is  always  the  first  to  be  touched  by  the  thorns." 

With    an    optimistic   faith  he    believed 


LIFE-SKETCH  OP  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  55 

there  is  a  brighter  age  for  the  world — the 
golden  age  of  all  the  ages,  focusing  the  eter- 
nal truths  of  the  christian  religion,  and  dis- 
sipating the  darkness  of  superstition  and 
ignorance  from  the  minds  of  men.  His  ser- 
mons were,  like  the  cry  of  John  the  Fore- 
runner of  the  Christ,  full  of  hope  and  re- 
demptive glory.  As  Minerva  leaped  full- 
armed  from  the  head  of  Jove,  so,  and  more 
truly,  did  Rev.  Rose's  faith  leap  full-crown- 
ed and  majestic  from  the  heart  of  Christ. 
God's  Word  was  the  ultimatum,  the  infalli- 
ble rule  of  faith  and  life,  the  Alpha  and 
Omega  of  all  true  human  philosophy.  He 
made  no  attempt  through  polished  phraseol- 
ogy or  sycophantic  display  to  gain  human 
applause  or  weaken  the  force  of  divine 
truth.  The  Word  was  to  him  the  life-giving 
and  life-sustaining  message  of  God  to  men, 
and  he  was  but  the  voice  to  herald  it.  His 
was  but  the  hand  holding  aloft  the  torch  of 
revealed  truth  in  Jesus  Christ,  in  whose 
streaming  light  all  human  souls  must  be 
transfigured  and  all  human  philosophy  must 
receive  its  baptism. 

But  while  he  voiced  the  supremacy  of 
the  Faith,  he  looked  with  reverential  awe 
upon   the   fearful    struggle   through    which 


56  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

Faith  must  pass  to  reach  the  goal  of  ulti- 
mate victory.  He  believed  that  the  Twen- 
tieth Century  would  be  the  battleground 
upon  which  will  be  fought  the  Armageddon 
between  Truth  and  Error.  Every  decade, 
every  year,  every  day,  the  hosts  of  the  one 
and  the  other  are  coming  to  that  awful  en- 
counter; and  while  the  outcome  is  not  doubt- 
ful, yet  the  success  of  the  Gospel  would  be 
measured  by  the  courage  and  heroism  of 
those  who  claim  to  be  its  adherents.  A  re- 
ligion of  negation  or  even  of  musty  and 
mirky  generalities  of  doctrine  can  neither 
beget  victory  for  the  Church,  nor  satisfy 
the  deeper  cravings  of  our  immortal  nature. 
While  conservatism  of  doctrine  is  ever  the 
safeguard  of  the  Church,  conservatism  of  ef- 
fort— so  plainly  evident  in  our  church  work 
in  some  sections — is  suicidal  to  the  best  in 
terests  of  the  trusts  committed  to  our  hands. 
Truth  is  eternal  and  unchangeable  in  its  es- 
sence; but  the  vehicle,  the  machinery,  by 
which  it  accomplishes  its  mission  is  to  be 
properly  adjusted  and  applied  to  meet  the 
demands  of  this  material  age. 

Faith  demands  expression,  and  that  ex- 
pression is  the  voice  of  one  crying,  ''Make 
straight  the  ways  of  the  Lord."     So  clear 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  57 

and  distinct  must  be  that  voice,  and  so  bold 
in  the  strength  of  God  must  be  he  who  ut- 
ters it,  that  men  will  cease  their  cavilings 
and  speculations  under  the  soul-renovating" 
force  of  the  divine  message. 

The  duty,  then,  is  plain,  if  we  would  see 
the  great  church  of  the  Reformation  carry 
out  her  mission  and  meet  her  obligation. 
What  is  that  mission  ?  It  is  to  declare  to  the 
world  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Word  of  God. 
Apart  from  this  the  Church  cannot  justly 
claim  the  right  to  exist.  This  must  be  the 
touch -stone,  and  when  the  Lutheran  Church 
fails  to  measure  up  to  that  divine  standard 
she  fails  of  her  mission,  and  thus  forfeits 
the  respect  of  men. 

Is  it  true,  however,  that  our  pulpits 
ring  out  clearly  and  emphatically  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible  ?  Upon  what  basis  are 
human  souls  to  plant  themselves  except  the 
immutable  foundation  of  doctrine  f  Why, 
we  should  ask,  is  there  so  little  of  clear-cut 
doctrinal  preaching  in  our  day  ?  May  it  not 
be  the  result  of  a  morbid  sentimentality  that 
clamors  for  an  emotional  religion  which 
touches  the  feelings  alone,  but  leaves  the 
mind  and  will  unchanged  ? 

A  minimum  of  knowledge  is  not  condu- 


58  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

cive  to  a  maximum  of  spiritual  usefulness. 
The  more  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of 
God's  Word  one  has  the  more  hearty  will 
be  his  appreciation  of  them,  and  the  more 
boldly  will  he  defend  them. 

Pastors  make  the  great  mistake  of  sup- 
posing that  their  parishioners  are  thorough- 
ly rooted  and  grounded  in  the  simplest  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible.  Such  ignorance  par- 
alyzes christian  activity,  and  is  in  direct  vio- 
lation of  the  injunction,  "Know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  set  you  free.  "  But  igno- 
rance does  more;  it  begets  disloyalty  to  the 
Church. 

What  christian  heart  does  not  contem- 
plate with  sadness  the  unrest  and  vacilla- 
tion so  prevalent  throughout  the  ranks  of 
professed  followers  of  Christ  ? 

Brethren  who  should  live  together  in 
the  fellowship  of  the  gospel  and  who  should 
be  "examples  of  righteousness"  to  an  evil 
generation,  allow  themselves,  by  a  spirit  of 
disloyalty,  to  turn  back  from  "the  good,  old 
way  of  their  fathers.  "  This  disloyalty  does 
not  rest  satisfied  with  the  alienation  of  mem- 
bers of  "the  same  household  of  faith;"  but  it 
raises  its  hand  of  rebellion  against  "the  pow- 
ers that  are  ordained  of  God.  " 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  59 

How  often  are  synodical  resolutions  and 
enactments  rendered  null  and  void  by  a  lack 
of  church  love,  christian  unity  and  fraternal 
co-operation  !  The  wisest  synodical  or  con- 
gregational legislation  can  accomplish  noth- 
ing unless  it  is  enforced;  nor  will  it  be  en- 
forced successfully  until  the  people  learn  to 
subject  themselves  in  obedience  to  authority. 

The  polity  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in 
this  country  we  believe  to  be  inadequate  to 
meet  the  demands  and  to  settle  the  great  is- 
sues that  call  for  adjudication.  The  tenden- 
cy of  all  human  governments  is  to  centralize 
authority,  and  to  hold  that  centralized  au- 
thority responsible  for  proper  legislation 
and  discipline.  It  is  also  true  of  church 
matters.  Where  authority  is  lodged  in  some 
responsible  head  there  will  be  obedience, 
and  order  and  progress  will  grow  out  of  dis- 
order and  lax  administration.  In  our  south- 
ern territory,  so  wonderfully  blessed  of  God 
in  material  and  intellectual  resources,  we  as 
a  Lutheran  Church  have  a  thousand  oppor- 
tunities offered  to  us  of  expansion  and  num- 
erical strength;  but  our  imperfect  organiza- 
tion, defective  discipline  and  imperfectly 
utilized  resources  forestall  the  attainment  of 
our  most  ardent  desires.     Our  hope  of  sue- 


60  LIFE-9KETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

cess  as  a  Church,  as  the  writer  sees  it,  lies  in 
the  adjustment  of  a  polity  that  will  facili- 
tate, and  not  hinder,  the  outflow  of  our  im- 
perishable doctrines.  To  this  task  will  be 
called  the  wisest  thinkers  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  this  century. 

We  rejoice  to  know  that  there  are  schol- 
ars and  consecrated  men  who  are  to-day 
bending"  their  best  thoug-ht  to  this  effort. 
Our  sainted  brother  had  deeply  and  serious- 
ly pondered  the  subject.  Even  on  his  dying" 
couch  his  great  mind  was  taxed  with  this 
profound  problem;  and  had  he  been  spared, 
the  synod  would  have  reaped  the  fruits  of 
his  splendid  investigations. 

In  order  to  stimulate  those  who  shall 
read  these  pag"es  perhaps  we  can  do  no  bet- 
ter than  give  an  extract  from  a  paper  writ- 
ten by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Remensnyder,  one  of 
our  foremost  thinkers,  on  the  subject,  "What 
Advantages  Will  Our  Church  Derive  from 
the  Introduction  of  the  Episcopate  ?  "  He 
says  in  part  : 

"We  have  the  pure  doctrine.  Armed  with 
that  can  we  not  overlook  all  else  ?  is  the 
answer  we  most  frequently  g*et.  Now,  per- 
haps, no  one  in  the  Lutheran  Church  values 
pure  doctrine  more  than  the  writer.     Still  we 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  61 

do  not  believe  that  pure  doctrine  alone  is 
sufficient.  Men  can  hold  the  pure  doctrine 
intellectually  without  being-  correspondingly 
spiritual.  They  can  also  cling"  to  it  with  the 
heart,  i.  e.,  emotionally,  and  yet  not  be  prac 
tical,  not  translate  the  sentiments  into  deed 
and  fact.  And  just  so  in  our  devotion  to 
truth  alone,  we  may  forget  that  this  truth 
both  lives  and  works  in  and  through  a  Church, 
a  visible  organization,  and  that  the  Script- 
ures declare  of  this  Church  that  it  is  the 
"pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth. "  Pure  doc- 
trine to  the  Christian  host  is  what  courage 
and  patriotism  are  to  an  army.  But  what 
avail,  all  this  splendid  inspiration  of  soul, 
if  there  be  imperfect  organization,  defective 
discipline  and  incompetent  generalship?  The 
great  host  will  not  be  a  regular  army,  but  a 
band  of  guerillas  to  be  flung  a  useless  sacri- 
fice into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  What  our 
Church  above  all  things  needs  now  and  has 
always  needed,  as  the  lamentations  of  Muh- 
lenburg  over  this  very  defect  prove,  is  a 
more  judicious  organization,  compactness, 
solidarity,  unity.  We  want  our  numbers, 
our  intelligence  and  our  wealth  in  hand,  so 
that  they  can  be  made  to  work  unitedly  to- 
gether toward   the   accomplishment  of  our 


62  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  G.  A.  ROSE. 

mission. 

1.  But,  is  the  Episcopate  that  feature 
which  will  accomplish  this  ?  We  believe 
that  it  is,  because  it  has  those  very  fitnesses 
adapted  to  remedy  our  present  defects. 
What  are  the  conditions  which  at  present 
most  weaken  and  demoralize  our  columns 
and  diminish  our  strength  ?  A  great  one  is 
the  lack  of  the  oversight  of  congregations. 
These  when  vacant  are  left  to  be  filled  in 
the  most  indefinite  and  injudicious  manner. 
And  when  filled  are  left  to  drift  along"  at 
haphazard,  or  be  entirely  moulded  by  the 
one-sided  and  defective  individuality  of  the 
one  who  chances  to  be  the  pastor.  The 
whole  community  may  be  disturbed  by  the 
unhappy  state  of  affairs.  The  congregation 
may  be  going  to  pieces,  and  the  name  of 
Christ  may  be  suffering,  but  there  can  be 
found  no  remedy. 

It  is  vain  to  say  that  this  can  be  reme- 
died by  the  visitations  of  the  President  of 
Synod.  The  writer  holds  that  position  in  a 
Synod  which  has  conferred  the  largest  pow- 
ers of  this  character  upon  its  President, 
charging  him  with  the  visitation  of  congre- 
gations, the  settling  of  disturbances,  etc. 
But  in  practice  it  has  proven  a  failure.     Va- 


LIFE-SKETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  63 

cant  congregations  fail  to  consult  him,  im- 
portant changes  are  effected  without  his 
knowledge,  he  has  his  own  congregation  to 
look  after,  and,  as  matters  of  fact,  the  indi- 
vidual congregations  run  themselves,  each 
one  after  its  own  fashion  and  license,  doing 
that  which  is  right  in  its  own  eyes. 

But  were  there  a  Bishop  this  would  all 
be  different.  The  oversight  of  the  congrega- 
tions would  then  belong  to  him.  Their  gov- 
ernment by  this  means  would  then  be  order- 
ly. It  would  be  reduced  to  a  system.  Con- 
gregations would  be  trained  to  it,  and  expect 
it;  and  would  look  for  it  as  naturally  as  the 
child  does  for  the  supervision  of  the  parent. 
It  is  then  the  business  of  the  Bishop  to  over- 
see the  congregations.  The  habit  grows  up  - 
of  looking  to  him  on  occasions  of  difficulty  and 
trouble.  His  presence  in  the  congregation 
familiarizes  the  people  with  his  person  and 
office.  They  learn  to  love,  revere  and  con- 
fide in  him.  They  respect  his  counsel.  They 
defer  to  his  authority.  They  see  the  benefit 
of  his  holding  the  reins,  and  they  allow  him 
to  conduct  and  guide.  The  Presidential 
oversight  is  a  name,  the  Episcopate  is  a 
thing — the  one  is  nominal,  the  other  is  real; 
one  is  a  mere  make-shift,  the  other  is  an  or- 


64  LIFE-SKETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

derly  system. 

2.  Another  great  benefit  secured  by  the 
Episcopacy  is  that  of  uniformity.  Mark,  I 
do  not  say  unity.  Unity  is  indeed  the  far 
greater,  but  it  is  also  the  impossible  thing*. 
Absolute  unity,  except  in  the  great  cardinal 
essentials,  we  cannot  have.  So  long*  as  men 
are  thinking1  beings — not  machines — so  long 
no  score  of  them  met  together,  Catholic  or 
Lutheran,  can  exactly  agree,  much  less  can 
millions  do  so.  But  uniformity  we  can  have. 
For  it  is  not  a  matter  of  conscience,  but  of 
expediency.  I  cannot  sacrifice  my  conscience 
in  a  point  of  doctrine,  but  I  can  sacrifice  my 
mere  preference  for  the  common  good,  and 
more,  it  is  my  duty  to  do  so.  Besides,  noth- 
ing tends  more  to  unity  than  uniformity,  i.  e. 
provided  always  that  it  be  a  matter  of  liber- 
ty and  be  not  imposed  as  a  necessity.  No 
church  can  be  strong,  efficient  and  united 
without  uniform  methods  and  usages.  Look 
at  the  sorry  spectacle  which  our  Church  in 
this  country  presents  in  this  respect.  One 
general  body  has  one  method  of  procedure, 
and  another  has  another.  Ordination  pre- 
vails here,  licensure  there. 

One  congregation  has  one  order  of  ser- 
vice, another  has  part  of  that  order,  another 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  65 

has  a  totally  different  one,  another  defiantly 
refuses  to  use  any.  One  congregation  uses 
the  Reformed  common  table-bread,  another 
uses  the  Lutheran  wafer.  One  uses  wine  as 
Christ  prescribed,  another  adopts  the  Puri- 
tan nondescript  liquid,  which  is  designed  to 
reprove  our  Lord's  miracle  at  Cana.  One 
minister  wears  the  clerical  robe,  the  other 
denounces  it  as  an  abomination.  One  church 
has  a  chancel  and  altar,  giving  the -Lord's 
Supper  its  place  as  one  of  the  great  co-ordi^ 
nate  means  of  grace.  But  another  adopting 
the  Zwinglian  confusion,  puts  the  pulpit  over 
that  which  is  no  longer  an  altar,  but  is  igno- 
miniously  dwindled  into  a  common  table. 
The  question  arises,  amid  all  this  heterogen- 
eousness  and  disorder  and  distraction  and 
opposition,  can  we  expect  progress  and  suc- 
cess ?  What  does  our  boasted  agreement 
on  the  Augustana  amount  to,  when  it  has 
such  a  puerile  and  discreditable  outcome  ? 
In  fact,  is  there  unity  of  faith  and  mind 
where  there  is  such  utterly  irreconcilable  di- 
versity ?  And  can  we  expect  other  denomi- 
nations to  respect  us,  or  consider  us  ecclesias- 
tically of  any  importance  when  we  are  at 
such  hopeless  odds  among  ourselves  ?  Or 
can  we  expect  our  young  people  to  grow  up 


66  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REY.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

in  love  and  devotion  to  the  Lutheran  Church, 
when  no  one  can  tell  them  who  or  what  that 
church  is,  what  is  its  worship,  what  are  its 
usages,  or  by  what  external  form,  flag  or 
banner  they  may  recognize  it  ?  Beyond 
doubt  the  whole  tendency  of  this  unhappy 
state  of  affairs,  is  to  weaken  and  discourage 
our  membership  throughout  the  whole  rank 
and  file,  and  to  make  it  an  easy  prey  to 
those  who  have  more  ecclesiastical  foresight 
and  common  sense. 

3.  But  will  the  Episcopate  heal  these 
evils  ?  My  answer  is — Look  at  our  Church 
in  Sweden,  at  its  uniformity,  its  unity,  its 
5,000,000  members,  as  over  against  but  50,- 
000  dissenters,  its  wide  influence  all  over  the 
world!  What  but  the  Episcopate,  vindicat- 
ed by  a  previous  history  of  fourteen  centuries, 
has  effected  that  ?  The  experience,  the  con- 
sultations and  the  influence  of  a  body  of  ven- 
erable Bishops,  would  banish  our  suicidal 
divergencies  and  oppositions,  and  make  us 
one  in  reality  and  form  as  we  are  one  in 
Lutheran  name.  I  forbear  to  urge  other 
reasons.  No  church  has  ever  tried  the  Epis- 
copate and  regretted  it.  The  Catholics,  the 
Episcopalians,  and  our  own  Lutheran 
Church,  who  to-day  use  it,  are  convinced  of 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  67 

its  efficiency,  and  would  regard  the  loss  of  it 
as  the  excision  of  their  right  arm.  And  we 
who  have  tried  the  experiment  of  getting 
along  without  it,  find  the  result  to  be  inex- 
tricable confusion  and  disorder.  Wise  men 
profit  by  mistakes.  With  our  pure  doctrine, 
great  history,  and  ideal  form  of  worship,  let 
us  adopt  that  wise  and  historic  church  gov- 
ernment, the  Episcopal,  and  order  will  come 
out  of  chaos,  and  our  great  ecclesiastical 
army  will  become  not  the  laggard  rear,  but 
the  honored  vanguard,  in  the  victorious  col- 
umns of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. " 

Those  who  love  the  Church  of  God  will 
ponder  the  above  with  prayerful  earnestness. 
We  desire  to  see  the  truth  prevail  over  all  er- 
ror. We  must,  to  this  end,  bring  every  fac- 
tor to  bear  its  full  measure  of  strength.  We 
have  the  financial  resources  in  hand  if  our 
people  will  consecrate  them  to  God's  service. 

We  have  the  intelligence  to  comprehend 
our  task  and  consummate  our  hopes.  We 
have  the  men  and  women  who,  under  the 
sway  of  the  Spirit,  are  willing  to  "rise  up 
and  build  the  walls  of  Zion. " 

What  we  need  most  of  all  is  a  consecrat- 
ed  heart  to  use  whatever  talent  God  has 


68  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

given  us  to  the  advancement  of  His  Kingdom. 

We  believe  our  people  will  produce  the 
means  when  they  see  that  every  dollar  is 
wisely  and  economically  administered. 

When  men  learn  that  their  wealth  is 
honored  of  God  in  the  perpetuation  of  His 
Church,  and  that  not  one  single  dollar  is 
needlessly  wasted,  their  love  to  God  and  His 
Kingdom  will  constrain  them  to  consecrate 
their  money  and  time  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

We  rejoice  to  know  that  the  hearts  of 
our  people  are  opening  to  greater  liberality, 
and  new  visions  are  beckoning  them  on  to 
nobler  endeavor. 

The  silent  voices  of  the  sainted  dead, 
their  efforts  and  prayers, — all  bear  to  us  the 
voice  of  duty  and  the  message  of  consecra- 
tion! 


CHAPTER  VII. 
LIFE'S  SUNSET  AT  HIGH  NOON. 


NOTHIXO    IS  MORK    SIMPCK    THAN     GBSlINEBSl    INDEBB,     TO    B* 
HIMFLI  IS    TO  BBi  GHKAT, EMUHSOX, 

"oNT/T  A.  STEP  INTO  TIE  OPBN  AIR| 

OUT   O^   A  TBX1  ALKIADT  LUMIXO08 

WITH  LIGHT  TDIT  SHINES  THROUGH  ITS  TRANSPAHIXT  ITALtS," 

— LON6FBLMW. 

JN  closing"  these  pag*es  of  an  imperfect  life- 
sketch  of  Rev.  Charles  Alexander  Rose, 
the  following"  sweet,  little  poem,  entitled 
'  'Rest  From  Labor,"  comes  consciously  to 
our  mjnd  : 

•  'He  has  finished  his  work,  and  his  journey  is  over, 
The  war  is  accomplished,  the  triumph  begun; 

He  laid  down  his  armor  beside  the  cold  river, 

And  brilliant  with  stars  is  the  crown  he  has  won. 

He  has  finished  his  work,  and  his  spirit  rejoicing, 
The  voice  of  the  King,  in  His  beauty,  has  heard, 

In  accents  of  music,  'Well  done,  faithful  servant, ' 
Now  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. 

He  has  finished  his  work;  shall  we  mourn  our  belov'd  one? 

Or  weep,  that  his  face  we  no  longer  behold  ? 
Oh  !  sweet  is  our  hope,  in  this  moment  of  anguish, 

We'll  meet  him  again  in  the  City  of  Gold." 


70  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

The  following  was  published  in  the 
Salisbury  Sun  of  July  5,  1899— the  day  fol- 
lowing" his  funeral  services;  and  is  here  re- 
produced in  order  to  give  the  closing  scenes 
in  the  short  life  of  our  sainted  friend  and 
brother  : 

DEATH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

» 

HIS  .LAST   ILLNESS — A   SKETCH   OP    HIS   LIFE 
— THE   FUNERAL   SERVICES. 


The  entire  Southern  Lutheran  church 
will  mourn,  and  the  North  Carolina  Synod 
will  grieve  the  loss  of  Rev.  C.  A.  Rose,  its 
beloved  president.  Three  weeks  ago  he  was 
attacked  with  malarial  fever,  which  by  med- 
icinal remedies  had  been  partially  compass- 
ed. He  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able 
to  leave  his  room,  and  even  to  attend  divine 
service  at  Bethel,  his  home  church  at  Zeb, 
on  the  last  Sunday  in  June,  the  service  being 
conducted  by  Revs.  W.  A.  Julian  and  H.  N. 
Miller.  On  Wednesday  of  last  week,  how- 
ever, alarming  symptoms  began  to  develop. 
The  very  best  medical  talent  was  laid  under 
tribute  in  vain.  Medical  experts,  who  had 
kn<  wn   zrA   lcved    the    stricken    man,   and 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  71 

hence  added  to  their  professional  concern  an 
intense  personal  affection,  administered  in 
vain  the  latest  remedies  and  appliances  of 
therapeutic  science.  On  Saturday  the  sick 
man,  realizing  his  condition,  consigned  the 
voluminous  work  of  Synod  to  the  hands  of 
his  official  co-laborers,  and  almost  immedi- 
ately his  mental  powers  succumbed  to  the 
terrible  ravages  of  the  disease. 

Up  to  the  last  hour,  amid  his  delirium, 
the  work  of  church  and  synod  wrought  upon 
him,  and  with  counsel  and  praise  and  song 
he  imagined  himself  engaged  in  the  great 
work  of  the  church.  Peacefully  and  gently, 
folding  his  arms  across  his  bosom,  as  if  to 
say  "all's  well, "  at  ten  minutes  to  midnight, 
July  2,  1899,  our  beloved  brother  passed 
from  the  world  of  toil  to  the  rewards  of 
glory.  With  a  spotless  record  and  a  stain- 
less character  he  lived  and  labored  among 
us;  with  the  universal  benedictions  and  amid 
the  tears  and  sorrows  of  his  fellowmen  he 
passed  away.  No  man  ever  lived  in  our 
midst  more  honored  and  esteemed;  none  died 
more  regretted. 

A  preliminary  funeral  service  was  held 
in  Bethel  church  at  Zeb  at  7  o'clock, Tuesday 
morning,  conducted  by  Rev.  L.  E.  Busby,  of 


72  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  O.  A.  ROSE. 

St.  John's  church,  Salisbury. 

The  church  was  crowded  with  grief- 
stricken  parishioners,  who  for  fifteen  years 
had  sat  in  those  pews  and  listened  to  the 
words  of  wisdom  and  salvation  as  they  fell 
from  the  lips  of  the  faithful  pastor  now  ly- 
ing- dead  before  them.  The  minister  said  in 
part  : 

"I  would  gladly  escape  if  I  could  the 
ordeal  of  this  occasion.  You  come  not  here 
at  this  early  morning-  hour  to  catch,  as  in 
other  days,  the  matchless  words  of  inspira- 
tion from  his  lips.  That  tongue  is  silent 
now,  his  body  cold  in  death.  I  come  to  do 
for  him  what  I  know  he  would  sadly  do  for 
me,  his  friend — to  perform  this  last  sad  of- 
fice, and  to  exhort  you  to  recall  the  faithful 
teachings,  pleas  and  warnings  of  his  long 
and  patient  ministry.  He  passes  from 
your  sight  to-day,  but  that  which  he  gave 
you  of  his  ministry  will  remain.  You  bury 
God's  workman  to-day,  but  God's  work  goes 
on.  It  is  our's  to  cling  with  a  loyal  love  to 
the  memory  of  him  who,  in  life,  was  our 
friend  and  guide;  but  it  is  also  our's  to  ad- 
here with  a  deathless  devotion  to  the  pre- 
cious Gospel  which  his  lips  so  eloquently 
proclaimed.     He  has  gone  to  experience  the 


LIFE-SKETCH  OP  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  73 

joys  he  told  us  of;  we  linger  yet  awhile, 
then  we  too,  shall  pass  over  to  the  blissful 
home!  May  we,  when  the  summons  come, 
be  as  well  prepared  to  enter  the  blessed  por^ 
tals  as  he  whose  pulseless  form  is  before  us 
to-day! 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  service  the 
body,  followed  by  a  long  train  of  mourning 
parishioners  and  friends,  was  carried  by  pri- 
vate conveyance  to  Lutheran  chapel,  near 
China  Grove,  15  miles  from  Zeb.  Long  be- 
fore the  funeral  procession  arrived  the 
church  was  crowded.  The  deceased  had 
been  reared  in  this  community,  having  been 
catechised  and  confirmed  in  this  church  in 
his  early  life,  and  it  was  this  congregation 
that  assisted  the  deceased  in  his  preparation 
for  the  gospel  ministry. 

The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by 
Revs.  L.  E.  Busby  and  C.  B.  Miller,  official 
members  of  Synod,  by  special  request  of  the 
family.  The  following  clerical  brethren 
were  present  and  participated  in  the  ser- 
vice :  Revs.  W.  A.  Lutz,  B.  S.  Brown,  J. 
Q.  Wertz,  V.  R.  Stickley,  R.  L.  Brown,  C. 
A.  Brown,  W.  B.  Oney,  G.  A.  Riser,  Geo. 
H.  Cox,  S.  D.  Steffey,  H.  A.  Trexler,  H. 
W.  Jeffcoat,  H.  N.  Miller,  J.  P.  Miller  and 


74  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

P.  J.  Wade. 

Rev.  L.  E.  Busby  delivered  the  opening 
address,  giving"  a  biographical  sketch  of  the 
deceased.  Rev.  C.  B.  Miller  spoke  of  his 
personal  relations  and  intimate  acquaint- 
anceship extending  even  to  boyhood,  his 
deep  feeling  of  sadness,  the  high  esteem 
he  cherished,  and  the  delightful  official 
intercourse  he  had  with  the  departed  brother 
during  past  years. 

By  agreement,  Rev.  V.  R.  Stickley  and 
W.  A.  Lutz  voiced  the  sentiments  of  sorrow 
experienced  by  all  the  clerical  brethren 
present,  and  indeed  by  the  entire  Synod, 
over  the  loss  we  have  sustained,  and  urging 
the  people  to  supreme  faith  in  God  in  this 
trying  affliction. 

Rev.  Dr.  Holland,  of  Charlotte,  tele- 
graphed his  inability  to  be  present.  It  was 
his  desire  to  meet  in  the  sad  concourse,  and, 
with  the  grief  stricken  church,  drop  a  tear 
upon  the  honored  grave  of  our  sainted 
brother. 

The  crowd  of  over  one  thousand  people 
viewed  the  face  of  the  dead,  and  few  indeed 
were  the  eyes  that  were  dry  as  they  gazed 
upon  one  who  had  embodied  the  finest  type 
of  citizenship  and  true  christian  manhood. 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE.  75 

The  remains  were  deposited  in  the  cem- 
etery adjoining-  the  church,  there  to  await 
the  trump  of  a  blessed  resurrection. 

REV.    L.    E.    BUSBY'S   ADDRESS. 

The  following"  is  the  address  of  Rev.  L. 
E.  Busby  at  the  funeral  of  Rev.  C.  A.  Rose, 
July  4,  1899: 

Scarcely  more  than  12  months  ago  we 
gathered  on  this  sacred  spot.  It  was  our 
sad  duty  then  to  stand  beside  the  sainted 
dead,  and  attest  our  affection  for  one  who, 
for  36  years  had  proclaimed  to  men  the 
"story  of  the  Cross. "  The  slow  tread  of  70 
winters  had  left  the  snow-wreath  upon  his 
kingly  brow.  We  thanked  God  on  that  day 
of  Father  Kimball's  coronation  that  the  long 
and  loyal  life  had  borne  its  holy  fruitage, 
and  our  chief  est  consolation  was  that,  the 
lengthened  struggle  ended,  he  was  at  last 
crowned  with  an  abundant  entrance  into  the 
Heavenly  home! 

But  to-day  we  sadly  come  to  this  sacred 
place  not  as  before  we  came.  To  day  we  lay 
beside  this  consecrated  shrine  not  one  whose 
steps  had  climbed  the  summits  of  three 
score  years  and  ten,  nor  one  whose  bucklered 


76  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

harness  of  the  holy  ministry  had  been  worn 
even  for  a  generation.  In  the  prime  of  his 
manhood,  and  with  the  splendors  of  a  zenith - 
life  just  breaking-  full  upon  him,  we  bear  the 
lifeless  form  of  our  sainted  brother  into  these 
sacred  courts.  When  life's  great  work  had 
just,  as  it  were,  begun;  in  the  noon-day  of 
his  best  service;  with  noble  deeds  and  high 
endeavor  beckoning  him  on  to  grander 
achievements  and  more  triumphant  victories; 
our  friend  and  brother  falls,  pierced  with  the 
invincible  missile  of  death! 

In  the  gloom  of  this  great  grief  we  may 
not  understand  the  mysteries  of  Divine 
providence.  Had  he  fallen  in  the  sere  and 
j^ellow  leaf  of  age  we  had  found  no  mystery 
to  solve;  but  why  should  he,  so  strong,  so 
young,  so  brave  and  true — why  should  he  be 
stricken  down  in  the  first  skirmish  of  the 
battle  ?  We  need  him — oh,  so  sorely! — in 
the  counsels  of  our  synod;  we  need  him  in 
the  fostering  of  our  plans;  we  need  him  in 
the  execution  of  our  work! 

It  was  his  splendid  executive  ability 
that,  in  the  years  gone  by,  served  to  exalt 
our  beloved  Synod  to  higher  heights;  it  was 
his  unflinching  devotion  to  duty  that  en- 
kindled new  aspiration  in  the  hearts  of  his 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  77 

fellow  workmen.  By  his  prudence,  foreseen 
dangers  were  averted;  by  his  wisdom  the 
wisest  plans  were  adopted. 

Scrupulously  honest  and  candid,  he  had 
nothing"  to  conceal,  nothing  to  fear  !  Gen- 
tle as  an  innocent  child,  men  were  glad  to 
call  him  friend.  Generous-hearted  and  af- 
fable, he  unconsciously  bound  the  multi- 
tudes to  him  in  the  undying  bonds  of  his 
great  love.  Timid  and  shrinking,  he  had  no 
ambition  but  to  serve  his  Master  in  humble 
ways;  trusting  and  faithful,  he  won  the  con- 
fidence and  honor  of  all  men.  Meek  and 
humble,  he  knew  not  his  own  matchless 
worth;  too  proud  to  do  or  think  an  unjust 
thought  or  act,  he  has  carved  his  name  on 
the  proudest  monument  that  can  be  reared 
to  mortal  kind  ! 

Brave,  noble  soul !  We  embalm  thy 
precious  memory  in  our  hearts  !  Thou  didst 
teach  us  by  thy  devotion  to  the  Master's 
service,  the  grandeur  of  our  stewardship. 
By  thy  heroic  faith  we  vow  to  live  to  perpet- 
uate the  work  thou  hast  begun. 

A  life  so  great,  so  good  and  true  shall 
bring  the  harvest  of  its  gracious  fruitage  in 
the  ages  yet  to  come.  In  the  gathering  of 
the  sheaves  God  will  say  "Well  done !" 


78  LIFE-SKETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

Farewell,  dear  brother,  till  in  the  com- 
ing- day  thou  shalt  greet  us  with  "all  hail !, 
all  hail!!" 

It  is  not  needful  that  we  eulogize  the 
dead.  We  need  only  to  recall  his  virtues 
and  his  devotion  to  duty  and  to  God.  His 
whole  life,  as  transparent  as  crystal,  has 
been  passed  among"  his  people.  His  history 
is  a  part  of  the  history  of  this  community. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  more  prudent, 
farseeing,  conscientious,  laborious  worker 
has  ever  graced  the  rolls  of  the  N.  C.  Synod. 
True  in  his  friendships,  honest  in  his  asso- 
ciations, and  diligent  in  his  calling,  he  has 
passed  out  from  his  labors  to  the  rewards  of 
his  toil.  May  our  Heavenly  Father  grant  to 
each  of  us  as  grand  a  record  ! 

His  retiring,  timid,  unambitious  nature 
did  not  allow  him  to  seek  office  or  honors  at 
the  hands  of  his  brethren,  else  all  these 
could  have  been  his.  He  was  content  to 
toil  in  the  ranks,  and  to  do  the  hardest 
work. 

So  unbounded  was  the  confidence  which 
his  brethren  had  in  him,  and  so  spotless  his 
record,  that  in  every  convention  of  Synod 
he  was  chosen  upon  the  most  important  com- 
mittees.    How  nobly  he  performed  his  tasks 


LIFE-SKETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  79 

the  records  of  Synod  will  freely  attest.  So 
long-  and  so  self -sacrificing-  did  he  labor 
among-  us  that  we  had  learned  to  await  his 
counsel,  suggestions  and  co-operation  in  the 
most  trying  work  of  Synod. 

At  the  95th  convention  of  the  N.  C. 
Synod  at  Burlington,  Brother  Rose,  during 
his  absence,  and  in  opposition  to  his  wishes, 
was  unanimously  elected  president.  This 
office  he  held  at  his  death. 

When  the  delirium  of  his  last  illness 
came,  his  constant  thoug-hts  were  eng-ag-ed 
with  the  cause  to  which  he  had  consecrated 
his  life. 

By  the  choice  of  the  people  of  Rowan 
county,  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Education,  which  office  he  held  at  his 
death.  The  citizens  of  the  county  will 
cheerfully  bear  testimony  to  his  eminent  fit- 
ness for  the  position,  and  they  will  not  read- 
ily find  one  so  well  qualified  as  he  to  become 
his  successor. 


The  following-  account  of  Memorial  ser- 
vice held  in  St.  John's   church,   Salisbury, 


80  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

appeared  in  the  Salisbury  Sun  of  July   10, 
1899,  the  day  after  the  service  was  held: 

MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 


HELD  AT  ST.  JOHN'S  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 
LAST  NIGHT. 


A  large  congregation  assembled  at  St. 
John's  Lutheran  church  last  night,  the  oc- 
casion being  a  service  to  the  memory  of  the 
late  lamented  Rev.  C.  A.  Rose. 

Appropriate  Scripture  was  read  b}7  the 
pastor  and  congregation,  and  a  number  of 
songs  suitable  to  the  service  were  sung- 
Rev.  L.  E.  Busby  offered  thanks  to  the  Al- 
mighty God  for  the  great  work  which  Rev. 
Rose  had  accomplished,  for  his  untiring  ef- 
forts for  the  salvation  of  his  fellowmen,  and 
for  the  influences  for  good  which  he  had  left 
behind. 

Mr.  John  M.  Julian  made  a  pathetic  and 
touching  address.  He  spoke  of  Rev.  Rose 
as  a  citizen,  and  of  his  love  for  mankind,  and 
his  devotion  to  his  people.  He  compared 
him  to  that  Eastern  sage  of  whom  it  is  said 
that  because  of  his  love  for  his  fellowmen 
the  gates  of  Paradise  stood  ajar,  and   the 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  81 

Recording-  Angel  inscribed  his  name  upon 
the  Book  of  Life.  The  speaker  referred  to 
the  fact  that  the  people  with  whom  this 
godly  man  served  had  followed  his  remains 
over  hill  and  dale,  through  field  and  forest, 
by  communities  in  which  he  had  espoused 
the  cause  of  Christ,  and  on  to  the  scene 
which  had  been  his  playground  in  happy 
boyhood  da}'s,  and  there  had  consigned 
his  body  to  the  tomb  to  await  the  resurrec- 
tion morn. 

Prof.  R.  G.  Kizer,  Secretary  of  the 
County  Board  of  School  Directors,  spoke  of 
the  public  life  of  Mr.  Rose.  He,  as  Chairman  of 
that  Board,  had  been  a  great  friend  of  edu- 
cation, a  friend  of  the  teacher  and  a  friend 
of  the  children.  He  longed  to  see  the  day 
when  the  name  of  every  child  of  school  age 
in  the  county  would  be  enrolled  on  the 
school  records  of  Rowan.  He  was  a  staunch 
supporter  of  Teachers'  Institutes,  contend- 
ing that  they  inspired  the  teachers  to  do 
greater  work,  and  at  the  last  meeting  of  the 
Board  championed  the  cause  of  these  insti- 
tutes. He  was  fearless,  he  was  brave,  and 
always  did  that  which  he  conscientiously 
believed  to  be  right,  regardless  of  conse- 
quences   and   without   fear  or  favor.     The 


82  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  0.  A.  ROSE. 

speaker  spoke  of  his  fine  executive  ability, 
his  work  in  placing*  the  educational  interests 
of  Rowan  on  a  firm  basis,  and  said  that  he 
always  listened  to  the  plea  of  the  humblest 
man  when  he  came  before  him  in  the  interest 
of  a  school.  He  believed  education  to  be  a 
great  factor  in  abating-  vice  and  crime.  Prof. 
Kizer  said  that  in  the  death  of  this  man  the 
community  had  lost  one  of  its  brightest 
stars,  the  county  one  of  its  best  citizens,  and 
the  State  one  of  its  noblest  sons. 

Such  a  life  as  this  man  lived  is   worthy 
of  emulation. 


On  the  spot  where  lie  the  remains  of 
this  sainted  servant  of  God,  and  overlooking* 
the  scenes  of  his  youthful  days,  stands  a 
polished  shaft  dedicated  to  his  name.  This 
monument  was  recently  erected  by  the  fam- 
ily, parishioners  and  friends  of  St.  Paul's 
and  Bethel  congregations. 


LIFE-SKETOH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  83 

On  the  front  face   of   the   monument   is 
this  inscription: 


REV.  C.  A.  ROSE, 

BORN 

March  11,  1857; 

DIED 

July  2,  1899. 


A  minister  of  the  Ev.  Lutheran 
Church. 


"He  taught  and  led  the  way 
to  Heaven." 


On  the  south  face  of  the  monument  are 
these  words  : 


84  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 


This  monument  was  erected 
by  the  Family,  Friends,  and 
Members  of  St.  Paul's  and 
Bethel  Ev.  Lutheran  Churches, 
Rowan  Co.,  N.  C. 


"He  was  a  good  man,  and  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith. " 


While  on  the  second  base  stone  in  mas- 
sive relief  letters  is  the  name  : 


ROSE 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
SWEET  MEMORIES. 


TO   LIVE   IK  HEA.KT8   WE  LEATK   BEHIND  IS  NOT  TO  DIB," 

— CiMPBBLL. 

"MOW   BBAOTirUL  IT  IS  VOK  A  MAX  TO   BIK 

UPOK   1R>  WiLLU  OF  ZIOKI    TO   BJO  CALLED 

LIKE  A  WATOH-WOHH  AHD  WUET  »BHI1WBL, 

TO  PUT  HIS  ABMOE    OFF,    AND  RBBT  IK  HBATBN,"— WILLIB. 


j  T  has  been  truly  said  the  good  man  never 
^  dies.  His  body  may  be  laid  in  the  dust, 
his  voice  stilled  by  the  finger  of  death, 
his  work  unfinished  dropped  from  the  pulse- 
less hand;  but  the  potent  influence  of  his 
godly  life  is  perpetuated  in  those  who  come 
after  him. 

"In  the  famous  Watt's  collection  there  is 
the  picture  of  death  entering-  a  cottage.  His 
face  wears  no  fierceness, but  determination  is 
written  there.  The  door  is  pushed  back  a 
little  and  the  roses  torn  from  above  the  door 
lie  bruised  upon  the  floor.  Love,  with 
prayer  and  anguish  written  on  her  face,  tries 
in  vain,  with  uplifted  arm,  to  stay  the  intru- 
der. The  picture  is  not  complete.  Back  of 
it  from  out  of  the  open  gates  of  Heaven 


86  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

should  be  the  Angel  of  the  Resurrection 
sweeping-  to  earth  on  broad,  graceful  wing's, 
who  with  a  touch  and  a  single  kiss,  will 
wake  to  life  all  the  dead  who  have  died  in 
the  Lord." 

Hence,  like  silver  bells  on  the  evening- 
air,  sweet  notes  of:  memory  will  echo  the 
virtues  of  those  who  have  passed  from  our 
sight,  and  the  hearts  and  lives  made  holier 
by  contact  with  the  good  and  great  will  be 
made  the  happier  and  brighter  through  the 
inherited  blessing*. 

When  the  news  of  the  death  of  Rev. 
Rose  was  announced,  the  writer  received 
many  letters  expressive  of  the  feelings  of 
the  authors.  We  would  do  violence  to  our 
duty  to  the  living  and  the  dead  were  we  to 
withhold  these  expressions  of  tender  regard. 
We  therefore  append  to  these  ' 'Sweet  Mem- 
ories" a  few  of  these  outpourings  of  loving 
hearts  :  v 

Rev.  H.  W.  Jeff  coat  writes  :  "It  was 
not  my  privilege  to  know  Pastor  Rose  more 
than  a  few  years,  and  yet  his  life  is  an  in- 
spiration to  me,  even  now.  By  it  the  truth 
of  God's  word  is  impressed  upon  me,  and  I 
see  the  force  of  it  as  I  never  saw  it  before. 
Truly    'He  being  dead,    yet  speaketh,'  'for 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  87 

his  works  do  follow  him. '  He  was  one  of 
the  few  men  in  whose  very  heart  and  life  the 
spirit  of  God  was  easily  recognized,  and  in 
whose  presence  it  was  an  easy  thing  to  be  a 
lover  of  God." 

Kev.  P.  L.  Miller,  formerly  pastor  of 
the  Albemarle  charge,  writes  as  follows  : 
"The  first  time  I  met  dear  Bro.  Rose  was 
Oct.  3rd,  1898,  in  company  with  yourself  and 
others,  at  Christ  church,  Spencer,  N.  C.  I 
was  very  favorably  impressed  with  him  at 
this  first  meeting,  and  I  shall  never  forget 
the  hearty  welcome  I  received  at  his  hands. 
He  always  treated  me  in  a  most  brotherly 
manner.  He  was  truly  a  christian  minister 
of  the  highest  type.  The  work  he  per- 
formed for  the  building  up  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ  was  a  grand  and  noble  one.  He 
was  humble,  and  yet  a  very  sincere  man.  He 
was  one  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had.  No 
one  knows  how  much  I  miss  him.  I  was  never 
in  his  home  but  once:  but  I  found  it  to  be  a 
home,  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word.  I  was 
most  kindly  entertained  by  this  dear  brother 
and  his  wife.  Thank  God!  He  has  gone  to 
a  better  home  than  any  of  us  have  here  be- 
low. He  has  been  called  to  his  reward  in 
Heaven,  and  his  works  do  follow  him.     He 


88  LIFE-SKETCH  OP  REV.  0.  A.  R08E. 

sleeps  in  Jesus." 

Rev.  Sidney  D.  Steffey,  of  St.  John's 
church,  Cabarrus  co.,  N.  C,  writes;  "I  am 
glad  that  you  intend  to  devote  one  chapter 
of  your  book  to  the  expression  of  the  kindly 
feeling*  of  the  ministry  for  our  dear  departed 
Brother  Rose.  I  knew  him  only  to  love  him 
and  would  gladly  add  a  word  to  what  the 
brethren  may  have  to  say.  He  was  a  chris- 
tian gentleman  and  that  covers  a  great  deal. 
I  have  never  known  a  minister  that  was 
more  sincerely  loved  byhis  congregations,  and 
also  by  the  ministry;  and  he  richly  deserved 
it.  He  was  a  friend  and  helper  to  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  I  doubt  not 
now  reaps  a  blessed  reward  for  his  labors." 

Rev.  C.  A.  Brown,  of  Gibsonville,  N.  C, 
writes  as  follows  :  "To  know  him  was  to 
love  him.  My  first  acquaintance  with  him 
was  while  he  was  studying-  theology  at  Sa- 
lem, Va.  A  few  years  after  that  he  was  call- 
ed to  the  Bethel  pastorate,  composed  of 
Bethel  and  St.  Paul's  churches,  Rowan 
county,  N.  C,  and  upon  acceptance  became 
my  pastor.  Out  of  this  relation  grew  an  in- 
timate fondness  for  each  other.  No  one  was 
more  interested  in  me  and  my  success  than 
he  was.     When  my  way  was  dark  and  gloomy 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  89 

in  my  preparation  for  the  ministry,  pastor 
Rose  was  ever  ready  and  willing"  to  speak 
words  of  cheer,  comfort  and  encouragement. 
Often  did  I  go  to  him  for  counsel  and  advice, 
and  always  found  in  him  a  wise  counselor. 
As  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  he  was  fearless, 
proclaiming  the  whole  law  of  God  in  plain- 
ness and  simplicity,  but  with  eloquence  and 
power.  Among  all  the  preachers  that  I 
ever  heard,  there  were  none  that  I  loved  to 
listen  to  better  than  him.  In  him  I  always 
found  a  friend  and  in  his  death  feel  that  I 
have  sustained  a  great  personal  loss." 

Rev.  Prof.  C.  L.  T.  Fisher,  of  Elizabeth 
College,  Charlotte,  N.  C,  writes:  "Rev.  C. 
A.  Rose's  decease  removes  from  the  N.  C. 
Synod  one  of  its  foremost  men.  He  was  a 
talented  speaker.  His  native  gifts  were 
marked  from  his  youth,  and  he  prepared  con- 
scientiously for  all  public  utterances.  Few 
speakers  have  been  so  universally  popular. 
His  safe  judgment  and  conservative  temper 
made  him  a  balance  wheel  in  every  public 
body.  Probably  no  other  member  of  the  Syn- 
od had  an  equal  influence  over  the  laity  of 
the  Church.  He  was  a  faithful  pastor  and 
was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  flock. 
His  influence  with  his  people  grew  with  the 


90  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

years— the  highest  test  of  sincerity  and  per- 
sonal force.  He  was  a  kind  husband,  a  dis- 
creet father,  and  a  model  man  and  citizen.  " 
Rev,  F.  W.  E.  Peschau,  D.  D.,  of  Miamis- 
burg,  O.,  who  was  for  several  successive 
terms  President  of  North  Carolina  Synod, 
and  who  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  de- 
tails and  difficulties  of  the  work  of  Synod, 
gives  the  following  beautiful  tribute:  "Start- 
led, shocked  and  sorrow-stricken  was  I,  when, 
in  the  Church  paper's  columns,  in  heavy 
black  letters,  the  death  of  our  beloved  friend, 
associate  and  brother  was  announced.  My 
mind  and  heart  refused  to  believe  what  the 
eyes  saw  on  the  printed  page.  Far  away 
from  the  silent  death-room  where  many  tears 
were  being  shed,  and  the  whispered  words  of 
love,  s}^mpathy,  sorrow,  and  comfort  were 
being  spoken,  my  heart  was  sad,  and  silent 
tears  also  flowed  over  the  loss  sustained,  in 
the  bereaved  and  worthy  family,  the  large 
pastorate,  the  ever  to  me  dear  old  North 
Carolina  Synod,  the  noble  United  Synod,  and 
the  Church  at  large.  One  of  the  noblest  of 
our  6,000  ministers  has  fallen,  all  too  soon, 
in  the  best  years  of  life,  and  in  the  midst  of 
work  that  would  receive  a  shock  and  be  re- 
tarded by  his  premature  departure.     Memory 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  91 

recalls  the  many  happy  hours,  holy  hours, 
spent  with  the  noble  departed,  in  his  own 
home,  at  Synod,  on  other  occasions,  and  at 
Wilmington.  They  were  hours  of  holy,  pure, 
Christian  friendship  and  fraternal  inter- 
course, that  are  among"  the  most  precious  of 
life's  garnerings,  and  help  to  gild  the  life  of 
the  past  with  a  holy  halo,  like  pictures  of 
heavenly  life  in  earthly  colors.  Pastor  Rose, 
as  man,  was  sound  from  center  to  circumfer- 
ence, and  illustrated  the  old  saying,  'Anhon 
est  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God.' 
As  companion,  he  was  ever  delightful,  and 
drew  one  to  him.  As  friend,  he  was  pure  as 
gold,  and  as  true  as  the  eternal  hills.  As 
minister,  he  was  dignified  and  yet  humble, 
earnest  and  always  courteous,  truly  pious 
and  yet  without  display,  and  faithful  in 
every  way.  As  preacher,  he  was  forceful, 
eloquent,  ever  well  prepared,  and  was  char- 
acterized by  an  earnestness  that  carried  con- 
viction to  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  He  was 
far  above  many  a  pulpit  orator.  As  pastor, 
he  was  as  tender  as  a  child,  gentle,  loving, 
kind,  sympathetic,  true  and  sincere.  He 
manifested  the  noblest  devotion,  and  proved 
himself  to  be  a  man  among  men,  of  whom 
the  great  Lutheran  Church  could  justly  be 


92  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

proud  and  profoundly  grateful.  He  was  an 
honor  to  his  parents  and  relatives,  his 
old  home  church,  his  family,  his  Church, 
and  his  God !  'The  memory  of  the  just  is 
blessed.  -  " 

FAREWELL!    FAREWELL  f 

m 

"We  meet  no  more" 

On  this  side  Heav'n; 
The  parting  scene  is  o'er, 

The  last  sad  look  is  giv'n. 

My  soul  will  weep, 

While  mem'ry  lives; 
From  wounds  that  sink  so  deep, 

No  earthly  hand  relieves  ! 

My  stricken  heart, 

To  Jesus  flies; 
From  Him  I'll  ne'er  depart, 

On  Him  my  hope  relies. 

And  shall  we  meet, 

In  Heav'n  above  ? 
There,  in  union  sweet, 

"Sing  a  Saviour's  love  !  " 

Farewell  !    Farewell  !  ! 

Rev.  M.  G.  G.  Scherer,  of  Newberry,  S. 
C,  a  friend  of  many  years  standing",  and  for 
several  years  an  intimate  co-worker  in  the 
N.  C.  Synod  writes  thus:     "My  acquaintance 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  93 

with  Bro.  Rose  extended  over  a  period  of 
about  tweuty  years.  My  first  introduction 
to  him  was  at  Salem,  Va.,  when  he  arrived 
there  to  enter  "the  Theological  Seminary. 
The  first  glimpse  I  had  of  him  I  was  very 
strongly  impressed  with  the  striking"  likeness 
which  he  rjresented  to  Dr.  Martin  Luther. 
Being  a  great  admirer  of  Luther,  I  fell  in 
love  with  Rose;  and  this  earliest  attachment, 
for  which  his  looks  must  have  the  credit, 
was  deepened  and  indelibly  fixed  by  the 
qualities  which  I  observed  in  him  throughout 
the  term  of  our  earthly  friendship.  As  a 
student  he  impressed  me  as  being  conscien- 
tious and  faithful,  and  as  entertaining  the 
loftiest  conception  of  that  holy  office  which 
he  had  chosen  and  for  which  he  was  prepar- 
ing. A  true  piety  of  an  unswerving,  un- 
flinching, yet  warm  and  genial  type  marked 
him  already  as  a  man  upon  whom  God  had 
laid  His  hand  for  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
and  whose  shepherd- watchfulness  and  toil 
and  patience  could  not  fail  to  be  blessed. 
The  success  of  his  ministry  was  but  the  ful- 
fillment of  what  his  gifts  of  mind  and  heart 
prophesied.  As  a  friend  he  was  staunch  and 
true,  not  cringing;  always  maintaining  a 
dignified,      self-respecting     attitude     while 


94  LIFE-9KETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

making"  you  feel  the  warmth  and  winning-- 
ness  of  his  personality.  As  a  servant  of 
Christ  in  the  Church  of  God,  he  was  alert, 
sympathetic,  resourceful,  tactful.  There 
was  no  interest  and  no  joy  or  ang"uish  of 
the  Church  which  he  did  not  make  his  own. 
In  counsel  he  was  prudent,  conservative, 
strong-,  yet  not  contentious,  and  when  his 
views  did  not  prevail  (which  was  not  often, 
for  he  was  usually  on  the  rig*ht  side)  he  was 
conscientiously  loyal  to  the  decisions  of 
the  Church,  and  faithfully  soug"ht  to  carry 
them  out.  Altogether  he  was  a  man  whom 
you  could  not  resist;  love  him  you  must. " 

We  have  taken  the  liberty  of  inserting" 
the  extract  below,  written  by  Rev.  J.  M.  L. 
Lyerly,  of  Crescent,  N.  C,  to  show  the  ten- 
der regard  others  outside  the  Lutheran 
Church  had  for  our  sainted  brother  :  ;'I  wish 
to  be  put  down  as  an  advance  subscriber  to 
the  biography  of  Rev.  Rose.  Thoug-h  a  min- 
ister of  the  Reformed  Church  I  learned  to 
love  him  as  a  brother,  and  our  relations  as 
rieig■bboriug•  pastors  were  most  cordial." 

Prof.  R.  G.  Kizer,  County  Superintend- 
ent of  Education  of  Rowan  County,  N.  C, 
writes:  ''Rev.  C.  A.  Rose  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Rowan 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  95 

County  on  the  5th  day  ot  July  1897.  In  the 
organization  of  the  Board  his  sterling  worth 
was  at  once  recognized  and  he  was  chosen 
chairman  of  this  body.  His  colleagues  on 
the  Board  never  had  cause  to  regret  their  ac- 
tion. The  public  schools  at  this  time  were 
entirely  governed  by  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, and  many  were  the  questions  brought 
before  this  honorable  body  for  adjustment, 
but  amidst  all  the  troubles  and  perplexities 
incident  to  all  school  life,  and  which  at  times 
would  seem  to  tax  the  best  wisdom  of  the 
Board,  the  people  felt  when  their  case  was 
properly  presented  that  they  had  in  Rev. 
Rose  a  true  and  wise  friend.  While  his  de- 
cisions might  sometimes  from  the  very  na- 
ture of  the  case  have  seemed  disappointing 
to  some,  yet  I  have  heard  those  with  whom 
he  did  not  agree  say  that  he  was  cautious  in 
conclusions  and  hence  just  in  his  judgment 
of  men  and  their  affairs.  The  children  of  the 
county  will  never  fully  realize  the  serious 
loss  they  have  sustained  in  the  death 
of  this  good  and  noble  man.  He  was 
ever  active  in  seeing  that  the  child- 
ren had  the  best  opportunities  to  secure  an 
education  and  was  always  zealous  in  his  ef- 
forts to  see  that  all  public  school  money  was 


96  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE. 

appropriated  to  this  end.  Cautious,  pru- 
dent, far-sighted  in  public  affairs,  he  was  a 
fine  business  man,  and  his  advice  in  matters 
of  finance  always  made  him  a  valuable  aid 
to  the  Board  of  Education  and  especial- 
ly to  the  writer  who  was  ex -officio  Sec- 
retary of  the  Board.  His  last  official 
school  act  was  an  instruction  to  me 
to  notify  the  other  members  of  the  Board, 
Messrs.  P.  A.  Sloop  and  Jno.  K.  Goodman, 
to  be  present  on  the  first  Monday  of  July, 
1899,  and  he  remarked,  'you  need  not  notify 
me.  I  will  be  there, '  The  meeting-  was  held, 
but  our  leader  was  not  there.  God  had  de- 
creed otherwise, for  on  that  day  death  claimed 
him.  Thus  he  showed  fidelity  to  the  trust 
reposed  in  him  by  his  co-laborers  even  unto 
the  day  of  his  death.  " 

Rev.  V.  Y.  Boozer,  of  Zeb,  N.  C,  the 
worthy  successor  of  Rev.  Rose  in  the  Bethel 
charge,  writes:  "As  I  had  not  the  pleasure 
of  association  with  Pastor  Rose,  either  in 
church  work  or  private  life,  I  cannot  speak 
of  having*  been  benefitted  by  personal  con- 
tact with  him.  However,  as  his  successor 
in  the  Bethel  pastorate,  I  wish  to  speak  for 
those  to  whom  be  ministered  so  long"  in  spir- 
itual things.     They  love  to  speak  of  him  and 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  97 

his  work  while  their  pastor,  and  none  but 
wTords  of  praise  are  heard.  His  name  had 
long  been  a  household  word,  nor  will  it  soon 
be  forgotten.  He  was  greatly  beloved  by 
his  congregations  and  honored  and  respect- 
ed by  all  who  knew  him.  His  pure  and  holy 
life  and  eloquent  gospel  sermons  had  an 
uplifting  influence  on  all,  and  were  the 
means  of  leading  many  to  Christ.  Eternity 
alone  will  reveal  the  good  that  his  life  and 
labors  among  these  people  accomplished. 
In  their  lives  do  we  see  the  fulfillment  of 
God's  Word:  'Blessed  are  the  dead  which 
die  in  the  Lord.  They  rest  from  their  la- 
bors, and  their  works  do  follow  them. ' — Rev. 
14:13.  The  good  works  of  Pastor  Rose  are 
following  him.  St.  Paul's  and  Bethel,  with 
their  well  organized  and  progressive  church 
life,  are  living  evidences  of  his  ability  and 
faithfulness.  I  consider  myself  fortunate  in 
having  been  called  to  succeed  one  so  able, 
faithful,  and  greatly  beloved.  May  he  con- 
tinue to  live  in  influence  with  these  congre- 
gations and  thus  aid  me  in  the  work. " 

These  words  of  heartfelt  affection  at- 
test the  worth  of  the  man.  His  name  will  be 
precious  in  many  a  home  and  heart. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
TRUTH'S  CORONET. 


t  ■  t 


THE  sermon  below  given  was  the  last  one 
preached  by  Rev.  Rose  at  St.  Paul's 
church — less  than  one  month  before  his 
decease.  The  sermon  was  not  written  out 
in  full,  as  was  his  habit,  but  given  simply  in 
outline  as  printed.  The  disease  that  termi- 
nated his  earthly  career  was  already  prey- 
ing" upon  him,  yet  loyal  to  God  and  duty,  he 
filled  his  appointment,  and  those  who  were 
present  say  that  his  earnestness,  tenderness, 
and  pathetic  appeals  visibly  affected  the 
large  audience  before  him. 


TEXT. 
"For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His 
Only-Begotten  Son,    that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  Everlasting  Life." — John 
3:16. 

Dear  Brethren  :  I  realize  that  I  have 
a  text  this  morning  often  quoted  and  very 
familiar  to  all  present,  but  a  text  too  full 
for    men  or    angels     to     exhaust.     I    have 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  99 

preached  17  years,  and  I  have  often  thought 
of  this  text,  but  I  have  never  preached  from 
it,  and  now  it  is  with  solemn  awe  that  I  at- 
tempt to  do  so.  In  this  attempt  I  am  con- 
scious that  I  can  only  present  a  few  surface 
thoughts  on  "God's  Great  Love  to  Man." 
God's  love  to  man  !  What  a  subject !  Well 
may  cherubim  and  seraphim  try  to  discover 
its  mysteries  and  the  infinitude  of  its  issues. 
So  deep  is  God's  love  that  it  reaches  from 
Heaven  to  earth,  etc.  So  long  that  it  ex- 
tends from  realm  to  realm,  etc.  So  wide 
that  it  reaches  man,  the  apostate  sinner,  etc. 
And  so  high  that  it  exalts  the  name  of 
Christ  above  every  name,  etc.  The  Apostle 
John  here,  though  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
inspiration,  seems  to  indicate  how  powerless 
words  are  to  express  the  love  of  God  to 
man;  therefore  he  used  the  so,  saying,  "For 
God  so  loved."  Have  you  ever  thought  of 
that  little  word  "so," — "God  so  loved  the 
world  ?  " 

Come,  ye  surveyors,  with  chains  and 
charts  and  maps;  ye  who  measure  land  and 
sea,  and  measure  if  you  can  what  John 
meant  by  this  word  "so."  Come,  ye  as- 
tronomers, with  your  telescopes,  etc.,  and 
when  you  have  measured  the  immensity  of 


100  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  R08E. 

space,  here  you  shall  find  your  powers  too 
feeble  and  your  language  too  faint  to  grasp 
or  to  portray  what  is  implied  in  this  text: 
"God  so  loved  the  world,"  yes  so  loved  the 
world,  "that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

Great  and  glorious  things  have  taken 
place  upon  the  earth  since  God  called 
it  into  existence.  Many  greetings  have  come 
to  earth  from  Heaven.  Angels  ascend  and 
descend  upon  the  ladder  Jacob  saw  in  his 
night  vision,  bringing  blessings.  Patriarchs, 
prophets  and  apostles  have  blest  the  earth 
with  their  lives  and  teaching,  and  have  died, 
etc.  Many  daily  blessings  fall  upon  us 
from  the  heavens  above;  in  the  star-light; 
in  the  sunshine;  in  the  storms;  in  thunders; 
in  the  procession  of  the  seasons,  which  bring 
bread  to  the  eater  and  food  for  the  sower. 
All  these  whisper  of  the  love  of  God  to  man. 

But  His  greatest  gift  to  man  was  the 
gift  of  His  only  begotten  Son  to  die  the  just 
for  the  unjust. 

"For  a  good  man  some  may  die,  "etc.  But 
"Christ  died  for  sinners."  Did  you  ever 
know  a  judge  on  the  bench  who  had  con- 
demned   a    man   to  death,   who  was  truly 


LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE.  101 

guilt}^  of  murder,  offer  to  sacrifice  his  own 
son  that  the  rebel  might  go  free  ?  Yet  this 
is  what  God  did  in  the  gift  of  His  only  Son, 
etc.  By  His  gift  we  see  the  awful  chasm 
bridged  between  God  and  man.  The  love  of 
God  seen  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  The 
rough  miner,  etc. 

The  mountains  have  been  removed  and 
every  hindrance,  so  that  our  prayers  can  go 
to  the  very  throne  of  God,  and  the  Sun  of 
eternal  love  can  shine  into  our  carnal  hearts 
and  warm  them  into  spiritual  life. 

Christ  has  made  the  golden  cord  which 
connects  the  believer  and  Deity,  a  cord  that 
is  let  down  to  a  sinking  world,  and  if  any 
man  or  woman  anywhere  will  take  hold  of  it, 
and  hold  on  in  fair  weather  and  in  storm,  all 
the  devils  in  hell  or  wicked  men  upon  the 
earth  cannot  prevent  his  salvation. 

Christ,  too,  has  solved  the  problem  of 
existence  for  us.  Had  there  been  no  gift  of 
God's  only-begotten  Son,  etc.,  no  Bible 
would  have  been  written.  All  revelation 
points  to  Jesus  Christ.  We  would  have  had 
only  guesses  as  to  man's  origin,  as  to  his 
duties,  and  as  to  eternity. 

Because  of  Christ  we  have  God's  grace 
and  favor  here  bestowed  upon  us.     If  God 


102  LIFE-SKETCH  OF  REV.  C.  A.  ROSE 

had  not  his  purposes  to  accomplish  herewith 
the  church,  long  before  this  He  would  have 
brought  sword  and  pestilence  and  famine, 
and  all  the  evils  that  can  be  described  upon 
man  for  his  wickedness.  God  even  would 
have  saved  Sodom,  etc. 

Seeing  this  great  love  of  God  for  us,  how 
it  should  demand  our  gratitude  and  all  that 
we  have  and  are  to  be  laid  upon  the  altar  of 
His  service  as  a  reasonable  return  to  God, 
our  Father,  who  created  us,  and,  when  lost 
in  sin,  redeemed  us  by  the  death  of  His  Only- 
Begotten  Son. 

Oh,  my  friends,  if  we  open  not  our  hearts 
to  Him — to  such  love,  to  such  condescension, 
to  the  mighty  movements  of  the  very  heav- 
ens to  us — how  blind  we  are  and  how  far 
gone  in  iniquity  are  we ! 

If  God 's  Holy  Spirit  that  moves  us  to  be 
saved  is  grieved  away  again  to-day  he  ma3T 
never  be  felt  again  in  your  bosoms  pointing 
you  to  the  better  way! 

If  the  invitation  to  mercy  be  slighted 
after  all  that  God's  love  has  done  for  you,  I 
ask  you  to-day,  "How  shall  you  escape  if 
you  neglect  so  great  a  salvation  ?  " 

"Sinners,  will  you  scorn  the  message 
Sent  in  mercy  from  above  ?"  etc. 


